Legend of the Pure Ones: The Owls of St Aegolius
by Gabi Girl 16
Summary: Young Gia has always yearned for adventure, but has been living in the same place for almost all her life. Then one night a stranger comes, and takes her away to the dreary Canyon Lands of St. Aegolius, where the Pure Ones are. Everyone says that Pure Ones are vicious and evil owls, but Gia is willing to become one, especially when she falls for their menacing king, Kludd.
1. When One Legend Ends, Another Begins

**Hello everybody! This is my first story on this site! I'm so excited to finally publish this story; it's been in my notebook for months! Before begin, I would like to inform anyone reading this that the two lead protagonists are an OC of mine and Kludd. I originally planned this to be a story based on Kludd and Nyra, since they're my favorite pairing, but for some reason Nyra just wasn't working for me. I finally realized it was because I wanted Kludd with _my_ OC, and not her. I'm not sure, though, if Kludd will end up with my OC or Nyra in the end, or if he'll end up with anyone in the end. I create the story, but ultimately the story decides what happens. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that my OC will get Kludd, whom is my favorite character. Only one way to find out: Onwards with the story!**

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Chapter 1: When One Legend Ends, Another Begins.

_As it was in the old ages, so it was in the new. The Guardians upheld their oath that night. They made strong the weak, and mended the broken, and when the sun shone again that morning, all could see that they had vanquished the evil._

_With the peace restored, it was a time for celebration and recognition for our small band of owls, who fate and a storm had blown into the Tree now stood before its king and queen as young Guardians. Ready finally, with all their hearts, to take that ancient oath: To mend those who are broken, to make strong the weak, and, without hesitation, vanquish the evil. _

_For as we know, Nyra escaped. And Kludd? Well, Kludd was never found..._

_The End_

"Wait, what?" Gia turned the page, but all that was there was the author's note. _That's it? _She turned a few more pages, only to see the character pictures at the back of the book. She closed the book, staring at its cover with a feeling of disbelief, almost betrayal. _No, that can't be it..._ Moments passed as she stared at the book, trying to will the story to go on. After who knows how many minutes, maybe five, she finally sighed. _But what happens to...? _

"Gia!" A sing-song voiced called, "Oh, Gia!"

Gia looked up. An older, larger owl poked her head in through the hollow's entrance. She pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing her dirt streaked face. That and her mud colored wings gave her the appearance of a Sooty Owl, but Gia knew that behind that dusty disguise there was a beautiful golden feathered owl.

"Auntie Angie!" Gia set her book aside and bounced over to hug her aunt. "How was work?"

"Rather slow tonight. A nice break from the regular hustle and bustle." Angela hung her cloak up, then turned to Gia to show her a basket she had been carrying. "I brought mangoes. This will go lovely with that left-over mouse from last night."

Gia smiled proudly at her aunt, whom was the librarian of the Silverveil Library. Silverveil was the lush green jungle where they lived. Being tropical owls, it was the perfect place for them with the abundance of fruit and warm weather. Once a moon cycle, the library would get a delivery of new books. Angela always brought back a stack of the new books so that Gia could read them first. The last book from the latest stack Angela had given her was "The Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole", the book Gia had just finished.

Gia picked up said book while her aunt busied herself with making dinner. "Auntie?" She asked as she looked through the book once more, "What happened to the brother in my book? Kludd?"

"Kludd?" Angela said, sounding rather surprised that she would bring up such a character, "Far as I know, the book said he was never found."

"And that's it?"

"That's it." Angela grabbed a wooden knife and started chopping up the mangoes.

Gia looked down at her book. She opened it to the character pictures in the back. She searched through them until her eyes landed on the one labeled "Kludd: The Rival Brother". He didn't look too happy in his picture, with a scarred face and a bleak background. The description next to his picture described him as a "traitor", who "neither had a heart nor a gizzard." This picture was her absolute favorite, probably because he was her favorite character.

She had to know more. She wouldn't be able to sleep until she had at least some answers. One does not just simply die in a fire and disappear from the entire book when you're an important character to the story. "Okay, so what do you mean by he was never found?" Gia looked back up at her Auntie.

"He probably died, honey. If you ask me, though, the little brat deserved it. All Pure Ones are going to end up dying in a fire eventually." Angela seemed to huff, and brought down her knife a little more harshly than before on the poor mango. Angela didn't hate many things, but she despised the Pure Ones, and with good reason.

The Pure Ones had been terrorizing the Owl Kingdoms for centuries, but for quite a long time they seemed to be nothing more than a story. That was until the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, protectors of the Owl Kingdoms, discovered them hiding in the Canyon Lands. Three years ago, when Gia was fifteen, the Pure Ones had been found to be kidnapping and moonblinking owlets, which was a way to hypnotize them by using the light of the moon, effectively turning them into slaves. Thanks to the help of Soren, a young Barn Owl who was the protagonist of the story, and his Band of owl friends, the Guardians were able to defeat the Pure Ones and cure the moonblinked owlets. Unfortunately, Soren's older brother, Kludd, had become a Pure One and assumably died when he fell into a fire, but no owl seemed to care much anyway.

Gia traced the picture of Kludd's face with her talon. He had been her favorite character. Everyowl called him a vicious and evil owl, a backstabbing turnfeather to his own family. She studied his face, to the point of straining her eyes, but she still couldn't see anything "evil" about him. From her perspective, all she could see was a boy with a lot potential, determination, bravery, and an adorable mohawk.

"Does anyowl miss Kludd?" Gia tried to ask her aunt again.

Angela was now paying only half of her attention to her while she finished cutting the last of the mangoes. "Of course not. He's a Pure One, or _was_ a Pure One, that is."

"What does that mean?"

"That means..." Angela sighed. Couldn't her niece choose to talk about something else? Something important? "That means he's evil. All Pure Ones are evil. Simple as that."

"But what if it wasn't so simple?" Gia persisted. "What if the Pure Ones thought that they were the good guys? What if they had good hearts and good intentions? What if they were good?"

Angela's knife came down a lot harder than she intended it to with that last word. Juices from the mango splattered on her face, but she did not blink. She stood there frozen for a moment, then quickly wiped her face with a cloth before turning to her niece. Her eyes were burning, and not just from the juice.

_Uh oh..._ Gia shrunk back, attempting to hide behind her book.

"Gia..." her aunt began slowly, approaching her, "The Pure ones are evil. Anyone who joins them immediately becomes evil. They have always been evil, and they will forever stay evil. Do you understand what I'm... Gia? Gia?"

For as much emphasis as Angela put into the word "evil", Gia didn't hear the word once. All she heard was "forever stay". Slowly the realization of the words came to her, until it hit her like a surprise hatchday party.

"Gia!" Angela began snapping her talons in front of her niece's face.

Gia blinked and took a step back. She had blanked out for a second there. "Forever stay... " she mumbled," Wait, you mean the Pure Ones are still alive?" A smile spread across her beak. "The Pure Ones are still alive!" Now she was talking mostly to herself. She glanced back down at her book, the idea making her almost dizzy.

"You're missing the point!" Angela had to stop herself from shrieking. With a deep breath first, she continued, "Have you forgotten what the Pure Ones have done? They are horrible, nasty, file creatures that only know how to kill. Kill in the most horrible of ways. I know I tell you not to hate others, but I'm more than willing to make an exception in this case. Feel free to hate their gizzards, my dear."

"Are they really that bad, Auntie?" Gia peeked out from behind her book.

Angela leaned in, so that her face was only inches from hers. "They're not that bad," she said, "They're worse." She narrowed her eyes. "We will not speak of the Pure Ones again. Ever. Are we clear?"

Gia slowly nodded her head, unable to speak. Or blink. Or breathe.

Angela relaxed, backing up and taking a deep breath. She switched her glare to a loving gaze, and patted her niece on the head. "That's my girl. Remember, darling, it's a dangerous world out there, especially for-"

"A Tyto aurantia, a Golden Masked Owl. I know, Auntie..." Gia let her eyes fall back to the book again. "I know.."

Gia definitely did know. Ever since she could remember, her aunt had told her stories of their kind, the Golden Masked Owls. Golden Masked Owls were rare species of Tyto Owls, so rare that Gia has never met any other one besides Auntie. The feathers of a Golden Masked Owl was just as the name indicates: golden, and very beautiful. It was because of this rare beauty that Gia's parents, along with countless others, had been killed. Tyto aurantias have been hunted down and slaughtered for generations so that their feathers could be made into fancy hats and decorations. There were even rumors that some birds ate Golden Masked Owls because they believed that it would give them magical powers.

It was because of this reason that Angela had kept her hidden in their home tree for so many years, almost all her life. Ever since Auntie had taken her in, Gia had never left the hollow, except for standing right outside its opening, but even that was limited. She was eighteen years old and she has never flown, or even gone branching, while most owlets her age were soaring through the skies, at least that's what her books on teenaged owls told her.

Angela turned to her. "I'm going to go wash up now. I want this place nice and clean when I'm done, then we'll eat." With that, Angela patted her head one more time before flying out of the hollow.

Gia glanced around the hollow, smiling at the piles of books, owlipoppens(that's an owl doll), and other things littered everywhere. She had gotten into the habit of purposely making a mess so she could pass the time cleaning it up. Besides, she enjoyed putting things away.

After every little bit was in its place, she went outside to water the plants. She stepped out onto the branch, stopping near the spot her aunt had taught her to. Down below on the ground, she could see her aunt washing the mud off her wings, which was her disguise whenever she left home. Gia sighed and lifted her water bottle up to a hanging flower pot. The ground... She had never touched the ground before. She wondered what it would feel like. She was sure that grass would feel different than dirt, or maybe she was wrong and it felt the same. And what about flying? What would it feel like to have nothing but air beneath your talons?

In the mist of her nightdream, she heard her aunt singing.

_We have fallen down again tonight_

_In this world it's hard to get it right_

_Trying to make your heart fit like a glove_

_What it needs is love, love, love_

Her aunt's voice was carried up through the wind and to Gia. She smiled. It was as if all her problems were being whisked away with the song. Holding the water bottle close, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the music. Auntie's voice was like silk, drowning out everything but the lyrics to the song.

_Everybody, everybody wants to love_

_Everybody, everybody wants to be loved_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh_

Gia hummed the rest of the song while she watered the other flowers. When each of the potted plants had its fill, she placed the water bottle away. She stood there and inhaled. There was a nice breeze tonight, even if it was broken up by all the branches by the time it reached her. Oh, what she would give to move to the outer branches and truly feel the wind in her feathers.

She looked up, and through the leaves she could see the moon setting, readying for the sun to take its place. Pinkish gold peeked out from beyond the horizon, making her wonder just how far one owl could fly. Was there an end to the adventures that heroes like in her books faced? What mysteries were lying out there in the world, waiting to be discovered?

The wind suddenly picked up, causing some of the flowers from her Earleaf Tree to blow off. One flower in particular landed on her branch, so she decided to pick it up. The flowers her tree made were beautiful to her, small and bright yellow, and they brought the sweetest scent. Just for the heck of it, she wove it through her head feathers. The wind grew stronger, blowing off more flowers. The flowers drifted away in the direction of the wind, the rising sun's rays shining through them. The dawn made the flowers shine so bright, it was as if they came from the sun.

She yawned. Daytime was when owls like her slept, and the scene was making her drowsy.

"Keep night dreaming like that and your going to fall asleep." Auntie's teasing voice entered her mind as she landed next to her. Gia blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to find her way back to reality.

"Huh?" She saw her aunt and smiled. "Oh, Auntie! You look beautiful!"

Now clean and dirt free, her aunt looked like a true Golden Masked Owl. Gia bared a great resemblance with her aunt, only her aunt's feathers were darker and had more speckles.

"Now, come on inside, sweetie." Angela hopped onto the hollow's ledge, then smiled at her before going inside. "Let's eat some mangoes!"

Gia glanced back to get one last look at the scene before her. That's when she noticed clusters of clouds forming in the distance, and again she wondered what things were out there. Trips to be taken, discoveries to be found, stories to be made...

"Coming, Auntie," She said, following her aunt inside.

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_Red flames burned across the Evergreen Forest, destroying everything in its path. Trees fell, and the once beautiful blue sky was now shrouded out by the choking smoke. There was fire everywhere, but only black fire crawled up the tower in which a certain owl could not escape..._

_Oliver pulled, scraped, and even bit at the chains that bound the princess to the wall, but he could not brake it. Toxic fumes poisoned the air as the wicked fire made its way up the tower. Sent by the witch, the black fire would never stop until it's target was burned to a feathery crisp. _

_"Go," Janna tried to say, coughing, "Go!"_

_"No! I will never leave you!" He mustered up all his remaining strength and pulled again, but to no avail. "I will not leave you again! Never again!"_

_The poison seeping through her body finally reached her heart, and she could take it no more. Janna's vision faded to black as her knees gave out. The last thing she sees before losing consciousness was Oliver holding her in his wings, the smoke and fire coming up behind him. _

"_Janna!" He holds her close, tears threatening to fall. He lets them drop without a care. "No...No, Janna, please..." he sobs into her feathers, "I am so sorry..." _

_The criminal wailed in anguish for his lover. Ironically, it had been him to poison her, as he was hired by the witch to kill her. Yet now guilt racked through him, regretting that he ever listened to that selfish old hag. He knew deep down, though, that this was his fault. Now the only creature that had ever loved him was going to die for it. His cries were drowned out by the rumble of the breaking tower, just as the flames were ready to engulf him..._

A flash of lightning ignited the hollow in a sudden light, startling Gia from her story. The wind had continued to grow stronger until it had blown in storm clouds earlier that day. Rain had started to fall soon after Auntie had left for work. Subsequently following that was lightning, accompanied by his partner thunder. The storm was getting angrier by the minute, which thrilled Gia. Nothing was better than finishing the last few chapters of Forbidden Love than during a raging thunder storm.

In her book, it looked as if the evil witch Hildigard was going to get her wish. Funnily, the very owl who had poisoned Princess Janna was now trying to do everything in his power to save her. Gia just had to find out how Oliver and his love was going to make it through this, or if the witch was going to win and take over the Forest Kingdom of Evergreen. Gia had no idea how the couple were going to make it out of this calamity. She lifted her candle to the next page.

Another strike of lightning broke out, but this time Gia didn't notice. Tyto Owls were gifted with a highly advanced kind of hearing, giving them the ability to hear things others can't. She set her book down. Did she hear...flapping? Cocking her head to hear better, she heard it again. Yep, that was definitely flapping. _But...That can't be right._ Auntie wasn't supposed to be home for hours.

Putting her candle stick aside, she crept over to the hollow's opening. She pulled back the curtains and took a small peek outside. Blinking through the army of rain drops that made it passed the branches, she could see a shadow in the distance. Another strike of lightning proved this shadow to be a bird. A really big bird...who was flying this way.

Panic struck her like one of the storm's lightning bolts. Auntie had been so careful to choose an abandoned part of the jungle to live in. They didn't have any neighbors for miles. So who was this guy!?

Gia bolted to the other side of the hollow. She felt across the wall until she found a lever. Pulling it, a camouflaged door popped open, revealing a slot just big enough for her to fit into. She squeezed herself inside and shut the door as calmly as she could make herself. The flapping was coming closer, then stopped altogether. She heard the curtains move, then creaking in the floor as the stranger entered the hollow.

_I am going to die..._ She suddenly felt as if she was going to lose her breakfast. Images of feathered coats and sandwiches began flashing through her mind. She did not want to become a sandwich. She heard a crash and sunk back further into the slot. _Maybe he's just pillaging... _The thought didn't make her feel much better. What if he took her mother's necklace? Or her father's battle claws? Those two things were all she had to remember her parents by, along with a picture of them that Auntie painted. What if the stranger took that, too?

Gia couldn't let that happen. Going against her better judgment, she cracked open the door by a slit. Only being able to look through the slit with one eye, she could see that the intruder had knocked over her book case, but she couldn't see the intruder himself. Finding all her courage, she slipped her talon through the crack and grabbed whatever she felt first. Pulling back her talon into the safety of her hiding spot, she saw that she had grabbed a paintbrush and a mango.

_Okay..._ she thought, _I'll hit him with the paintbrush, then squeeze the mango's juices in his eyes. Maybe then I can knock him out with something heavier. _With the plan formed in her mind, she swung open the door and raised her paintbrush, only to stop the moment his head spun around to face her. It wasn't his size or the ugly scar across his face that stopped her, but the red paint that stained his feathers.

She dropped her paintbrush. "You're a Pure One!" she gasped.

He smiled, making his scar stretch in an even uglier way. "Yes...Yes, I am." He snatched her by the shoulders and, with a mighty flap of his wings, pulled her outside. He flipped her over and lifted off into the storm.

Gia felt her talons leave the branch she was dragged onto. The branches of her tree whipped her in the face, then gave way to be replaced by the vastness of the storm. Rain quickly drenched her feathers, letting every little bit of warmth escape her body. The wind was harsh, which didn't help. Shivering, she looked up at her captor. Judging from his sheer size, she guessed he was an Eagle Owl.

_Maybe if I talk to him... _"I don't think it's very healthy to be out in this weather," she said the first thing that came to mind, and instantly regretted it.

"Shut up," he snapped.

The owl didn't seem to be very friendly. _I don't blame him. That was an awful conversation starter. _Other than Auntie, this was the first owl she had ever met. She might as well have just said "How's the weather?". Gia mentally kicked herself. _Maybe something more personal._

"What's your name?" she tried again, only to have the same reaction.

"I said shut up." He gave her a shake for good measures.

Gia coiled up, fearing he might drop her. It was then that she realized how high up she really was. Glancing down, she saw an abyss of dark, swirling clouds mixed with an endless amount of rain. She could see shadows that might have been the tops of trees, but not the ground. She had no idea how to fly, and now she was afraid of heights.

Trying to fight back the nausea that had returned, she kept her head up and eyes looking in front of her, pretending that the ground was only a few feet below her. Not comfortable with her feet in the air, she desperately tried to grab on to something, even though there was nothing there. Having nothing to hold, she clamped her talons together. That did make her feel a little better, and a little warmer.

She knew that she should be scared, terrified even, but for some reason she wasn't. Instead she was relieved. This owl could have stuffed her in a bag, plucked all her feathers, and made her into a fancy hat. He could have robbed her of all her possessions. He could have eaten her, thinking that it would give him 'special' powers. If Auntie had been around, he could have hurt her, or worse. Gia flinched and dismissed that thought.

Then she realized something. This owl was not going to do these things to her, but take her to a place instead. A place that she had read about in books. A place she was fascinated with. A place where an organization of exceptional owls lived. He was taking her to St. Aegolius, where the Pure Ones lived. Gia forgot all about how cold she was, with only one thought racing around her head. _The Pure Ones! _She thought, _I'm going to the Pure Ones!_

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**And that's the end of Chapter 1, the first chapter to my first story! I truly hope that anyone who read this enjoyed it as much as I had writing it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole, and I do not own the song Everybody. **

**This story, however, is mine, and you are not allowed to use it in any way. **

**Thank you for reading my story, and please review! **

**-GG**


	2. The Journey To St Aegolius

Chapter 2: The Journey To St. Aegolius

Gia had never been so high up before. Her Earleaf Tree was relatively small compared to most other trees in Silverveil, and her hollow was located in the middle of the tree. She had never really put much thought in about heights, and now the altitude she was at was starting to sink in. Terrified from the idea of falling, or maybe it was the idea of hitting the ground, she latched onto her captor as best she could.

"Could you please fly a little lower?" Gia noticed that her voice sounded quavery, and tried to swallow the fear down.

The Eagle Owl groaned, clearly irritated. "I said shut up! What part of that don't you understand?" He shook her again, this time more harshly.

Gia squeaked, but shook off the dizziness she felt after. "The part where you won't tell me your name," she answered.

Her voice sounded a little braver now, so maybe she was getting used to the heights. She gave a tiny look down, and immediately wished she hadn't. The Eagle Owl had flown her out of the storm, so now she could see just how far up they were. The trees were like an ocean of green, lit ablaze by the sun as it rose higher into the sky.

_Too high. Way, way too high. _She began feeling ill, and quickly looked back up, making a mental note to herself to not look down again until her feet were safely on the ground. She was pretty sure she wasn't getting use to the heights, but maybe she was getting use to the owl.

She glanced up at him. "My name's Gia. Gia Bismarck." She was hoping this would encourage him.

He growled like a wolf, and Gia whimpered. "I thought I told you to..." He stopped when he looked down at her, and saw how disappointed she looked. She closed her eyes and looked away.

_For the love of... _He thought. He had never met an owlet that was so annoying. He had snatched many owlets in his life time, and most of them were too scared to say a word. A few jabbered on in panic, but a good shake usually was all it took to shut them up. He's made quite a few owlets cry, while some just shivered and sniffled. Not once did he care, and why should he? The chicks needed to toughen up, but this owlet was weird. Every other owlet would be sobbing over getting taken away from home, and here she was upset because he wasn't talking to her. Why would she want to talk to him, anyway?

He felt his frustration boil up inside him, then steam off entirely. He sighed, and gave up. "If I tell you my name, will you stop talking?" He glared down menacingly at her, expecting to intimidate her like he's down to owlets before. His left eye twitched when she looked up with a smile.

"Absolutely!" Her eyes brightened, as if knowing his name would make her day.

The huge Eagle Owl kept his eyes on the sky, not looking at her as he spoke. "Max," he said quickly, "Short for Maximilian."

"Nice to meet you, Max."

Max stiffened when she said that, and wondered for a moment if she was messing with him. Her smile seemed pretty genuine, which just boggled him even more. He shook his head, and decided not to think about. "Yeah, yeah...Now shut up, kid."

He didn't say anything more, and Gia decided to keep quiet, too, for his sake.

After about an hour, she had just about fallen asleep. Every now and then she would dare to take a peek down, but would always feel nauseated afterward. Still, those few glances let her know that Max had taken her out of Silverveil. The lush, thick jungle soon turned to forests filled with fine trees, which eventually thinned out to green less hills. Last time she looked, she was being carried above a desert. She was used to the heat, preferred it, actually, but the dry air was just awful. Her eyes stung, and her throat was as dry as the sand beneath her. Fortunately Max's body protected her from the sun's rays, like he had from the rain during the thunder storm.

She had dozed off, her head hung low as she fell in and out of sleep. Time passed by quicker this way, but it wasn't the most comfortable of positions. It was hard to rest, though, when you were being dangled who knows how many feet in the air, and every time she woke up it was like a sick reminder when she opened her eyes to see the ground so far below her. She would yelp and cling onto Max, much to his amusement.

She had been in a half awake state, when suddenly her captor banked a hard turn to the right. She screamed and coiled into a ball, the dry wind lashing at her.

"Max!" She shrieked at him, much to his shock, "Thanks for the wake up call!" She fluffed her feathers, shaking to rid herself of the fear that seem to have struck her insides. "A little heads up next time, please? Thank you."

Max just kept staring at her, unable to find the words to scold her for her outburst. This owlet was speaking to him as if they have been best buddies all their life. That just wasn't normal. He blinked, and looked away from her. "Keeps you on your toes."

"Funny you should say that when our feet aren't anywhere near the ground."

Again she talked to him like that. It was starting to creep him out just as much as it did tick him off. "Just shut up, kid. We're almost there."

Excitement coursed through Gia's body when she heard that. "Really?" She smiled up at Max. "We're almost there? Ooooh! How much longer?" The idea of being in the Canyon Lands, at St. Aegolius, with the Pure Ones... Her gizzard felt like it might just pop with anticipation.

"Kid..." Gia could feel Max's chest rumble as he snarled, "What did I say about-"

"Right! Right! I'll just...be quiet now. No more talking."

He gave a short "Humph" and flew on, but Gia couldn't stop smiling. Possibilities of what the Pure Ones were like buzzed around in her head like a hyper bumble bee. What did they eat? Where did they sleep? What would it be like to train with them? She wondered if she would be training with other owlets like her. Probably. It would make sense. After all, the book said Kludd did when he was training to become a soldier. To think, she would be meeting new owls soon, owls that were her age! She bet she would become close friends with them, grow up and train to become Pure Ones together. Just like in her book, the Pure Ones would become her family, she just knew it.

The hooting of an owl nearby broke her out of her daydream. It came from behind her, and sounded as if it was getting closer. She spotted an owl in the distance. He seemed to be flying over in this direction. He was carrying something, and when he came close enough she could see that it was an owlet. The poor thing was so scared. She was about to say something to comfort her, when another hoot was heard. She looked down just enough to see another owl, similar to the first, flying to them.

"Hey!" The owl furthest away said, "Hey! I said wait up!"

The first owl looked over his shoulder and called back to the other, "What's taking you so long? C'mon! We're gonna be late again!"

The two owls appeared very much alike, with the only difference being the main color of their feathers. Maybe they were brothers. The closest one was red, while the other was a light gray. Of course they both had the red markings of the Pure Ones, but they both also had two horns sticking vertically out of the top of their beaks. She could tell that they were both Long Eared Owls. _Hmm... That rings a bell..._

The gray one finally managed to catch up with his presumable brother. "Thanks for waiting! I've been in the back since we were in Tyto Forest!" The gray one glared at his brother. He was breathing heavily, even though the owlet he was carrying was much smaller than the one his brother carried.

"Well, what took you so long?"

"The darn owlet wouldn't let go of the branch! Had to break off the branch to grab him. He's still holding onto it!"

Sure enough, the chick he was carrying was clutching onto a branch as if his life depended on it. The chick was so tiny, nothing more than a little ball of white fluffy feathers. He looked even more petrified than the other.

"Did you use the Predator on him?" The red one asked.

"Yeah, and even your Intimidater look didn't work."

The red one huffed. "You must have did it wrong. My Intimidater always works."

Gia could almost hear all the bells ringing in her head. There was something familiar about these two owls, she just couldn't put her talon on it. _I know these two... I know I know them. _She closed her eyes and tried to put the pieces together.

Gia heard Max groan again. She looked up in time to see him roll his eyes. It was clear that he was growing tired of the Long Eared Owls' complaining. In an attempt to change the subject, he looked over at the two owls, whom were now both arguing over whose frightening face was scarier. "So, what'd you guys get today?" He asked them. He sounded bored and irritable, like he really didn't care to know. Gia figured the question was a way to distract the brothers from their complaining.

Both owls wanted to answer, but the red one flapped a wing in the gray one's face and beats him to it, "Glad you asked! I think we snatched two Barn Owls. Jutt got the little brother. Some fight he put up for such a little thing." The red one smiled at his brother, who scoffed.

"Fine. Next time you can get the little fighter, Jatt. Then we'll see how you like it," He said, making what Gia guessed was supposed to be a scary face at Jatt.

_Jatt...Jutt...Wait. Jatt? Jutt? Jatt and Jutt? As in... _"You're Jatt and Jutt!" Gia had read about them in her book Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole. She could not believe that she was looking at the two owls who had taken the legendary Soren and his brother Kludd from their hollow.

Everyowl was startled from Gia's outburst, and Max personally seemed embarrassed. He gave her a rough shake and spat in her face as he spoke in an angry whisper, "I said shut up! Shut! Up!" he shakes her again, just as roughly, "Shut up!"

"What's that owlet you've got, Max? And how come she knows our names?" Jatt said, tilting his head to try and see Gia.

Jatt and Jutt flew up closer to Max to get a better look, which just made Max even angrier. He glared down at Gia, hating the attention that she had brought upon him. She shrunk back, wishing she hadn't said anything. These birds were Pure Ones, after all, and she wanted to make a good first impression. She had to show them that she could be professional. Straightening her back as best she could in the position she was in, she held her head up high and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Hello. I am Gia Bismarck. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you, Jatt and Jutt of the Pure Ones."

An awkward silence followed, with everyowl staring at her with a funny look. Even the two snatched owlets were. Max was giving her the worse look of all, a snarl spreading across his beak and his scar looking more threatening than ever. She felt just as embarrassed as he did now.

She lowered her head and whimpered. "Sorry, Max..."

He lowered his head, too, so that only she could hear him. "Not...another...word..." Each word he spoke was full of venom, striking out at her and lashing at her feelings.

Jutt looked at Jatt, shocked. "Whoa. She knew our names!"

"Do you know what this means?" Jatt said, leaning towards his brother.

Jutt smiled back, bobbing his head. "We're famous!"

"I knew this would happen one day!" They smacked each other's wings together, making the poor owlets they were holding swing and squeal as then did.

Both Long Eared Owls flew up on either side of Max, making him growl under his breath. Gia couldn't tell if the growl was meant for the them or her.

"You better start treating us better, Maxie, 'cause we're gonna be the talk of the Kingdoms before you know it!" Jatt said, nodding his head as if he had a whole audience agreeing with him. He gave a quick flap of his wings and flew ahead, probably thinking that he should be at the front of the group.

"We should start working on our cool looks for any future close-ups," Jatt said, flying up to catch up with his brother, "I think you should raise one eyebrow, and keep your chin down. You know, to give ya that striking look, like you're about to hurt somebody."

Max gave Gia a dirty look, now that he was cursed to put up with the brother's ideas of fame. Gia decided she would live longer if she didn't say anything more.

Two hours came and went, and during that time more owls joined them, all of them carrying owlets.

Gia noticed at one point that all of the snatched owlets were different kinds of Tyto Owls, while none of the snatchers were. Jatt and Jutt also told each new snatcher that flew into the group that Gia had known their names, causing a lot of unwanted attention to come Max's way. With her advanced hearing, Gia could easily hear all the whispers and murmurs floating around them. Several times she caught a few gossiping snatchers staring at her, even though they quickly looked away when they realized they've been caught.

Even some of the owlets were looking at her, but most of them seemed too frightened to care much. There was one owlet, though, that kept glancing her way. She was the one with the little brother, who was still holding onto his branch. She wasn't a very young chick, barely even an owlet. Gia guessed she was around her age. She wanted to say something, a simple "hello", but Gia knew better. Max would probably throw a fit if she so much as coughed.

Five hours. Five hours of being carried across forests, mountains, and mostly desert. She could tell how much time passed because of the way the sun moved, but watching the sun take its sweet time as it slowly inched its way across the sky was torture. She had never been so bored, even when she was stuck in her Earleaf Tree for every night of almost all her life. At least in her tree she had things to do, like read and clean, and in her tree she could talk, even if it was to herself.

Six hours now, and she couldn't take it any longer. Her neck had begun to hurt two hours ago from keeping her head up, so she had let herself dangle from her captor's talons, with her eyes closed, of course. The last thing she wanted was to feel sick from looking down again. She was done with being quiet. She had to say something, anything.

"I thought you said we were almost there," she said, still dangling with her eyes shut. That thought had been in her mind for awhile. Her idea of "almost there", was almost there. Not three hours later.

To her surprise, she heard Max chuckle. "Kid, look up."

She rubbed her eyes and lifted her head. Her vision was blurry at first, but then things began to clear. Her surroundings came into focus just as they headed under a rocky arch. There were two tall rocks on either side of the arch, one taller than the other, and on both there was a dark red flag and a fire. It took her a moment to see it, but there were also four owls on the rocks, two on each side. She only saw them for a few short seconds before Max flew too far for her to see them, but she thought she saw one look in her direction, and if he did, she could have sworn that his eyes were red. Red as the flag, red as the fire...

_This is so cool. _Gia thought, her smile returning. She was in the Canyon Lands, she knew it. The walls were rocky and dark gray, and the air in the canyons were much cooler, she was surprised that she didn't notice it before. There wasn't much color other than gray, but above her she could see part of the sky, like a ribbon of blue that complemented the dark fortress nicely. She couldn't see the sun anymore, but in the distance of the blue ribbon she could make out a burst of orange peeking out on its side, where she guessed the sun was, sending out shadows across the many rocks.

Max glanced down at Gia, whom was taking everything in with a joyous smile on her face. Any other owlet would have been crying when taken here, and here she was happy about it. She was the only chick in the snatcher's group that was cheery, and he hoped that none of the others had noticed. Of course he got stuck with carrying the defected owlet. No matter. In just a moment he would be tossing her into the Training Academy, and he would never have to hear her irritating voice ever again.

As if granting his wish, the snatchers at the front of the group, Jatt and Jutt, made a sudden dive down the canyon's alley. In order the snatchers behind them dove down as well, and Max's turn soon came up. He followed with the group down the alley, ducking under a ledge and making a swift left turn in seconds, the wind propelling them from behind.

Gia hadn't seen it coming, she was too busy admiring the scenery. She shrieked and clung onto Max. She knew he wouldn't drop her, but he tended to fly fast while doing some crazy moves that could have just squashed them against one of the canyon's walls. She was swung left and right, up and down, as he zig-zagged through the maze-like place. It was worse than when they flew through the thunder storm.

Max was startled when he felt something press up against his chest. Without moving his head, he looked down and saw that Gia had buried her face in his feathers, her eyes squeezed shut. Something didn't feel right. He felt...funny. A puff of warmth spread through him as if it came from where she touched him. He didn't know what it was, and he didn't like it. It went up through him and he swore he couldn't breathe.

Luckily he was right above the platform when she did that, so when he came in close enough to where she wouldn't break something, he threw her quickly and flew off before he saw her crash below. He landed on a nearby rock and shook himself. He could still feel it, but now it was subsiding a little. Work. He had to focus on work. Focusing on work would kick that thing out of him.

The moment Gia had felt Max's talons let go, it was as if she had lost a part of herself. A part that kept her safely in the air. She had felt him start to hover, but that was only for a split second before she was screaming through the air, expecting a long, fear filled fall to her horrible death, and yet she smacked into the ground almost immediately. She was so startled that she was embarrassed. How could she think that Max would do that to her? He would never do that, she was sure of it.

More screams and yells of surprise filled the vicinity. She saw chicks crashing to the ground like she had all around her, but she was still too startled to move. That is, until two fluffy little chicks fell on top of her. They both quickly rolled off, and Gia jumped to her feet just in time to see a huge Barn Owl owlet crash into the spot she was just at.

The Barn Owl owlet got up and stumbled in a circle two times before tripping over another chick. He was much bigger than Gia, but younger. "Where am I?" he called out to no owl in particular, terror clear on his face, "What is this!?"

_Oh, yeah. That's effective, _She thought. She understood that they were scared, but how would yelling out random questions help in their case? She seriously doubted anyone would answer them directly, or at all, really. Yet most of the chicks around her, from under her age to even older, were babbling out questions one after the other, and all at once. She had never heard so much noise in a single place in her entire life.

Big, fierce looking owls caught her attention. There were several of them, all of them Tytos. They were wearing matching battle claws and helmets, and all of their eyes were glowing red. _I knew it! _Gia thought. So their eyes did glow red. They were circling the chicks with their wings extended, pushing them with their sharp battle clawed talons as they rounded them together. This just made all the owlets cry louder, more of them falling over one another as they struggled to get away from the scary birds.

Gia was mesmerized by the Tytos. They were obviously trained soldiers, which made her swell with excitement. Their helmets looked so professional, and their battle claws... Gia gasped when she saw one up close. Auntie had never let her talk of battle claws, only read about them on occasion, and she certainly never brought one home with her. They were so fancy looking, so deadly, so sharp, and seeming to be getting closer.

She snapped out of her trance right as the soldier closest to her shoved her back into the group. He pushed hard, and she fell onto her back as she hit the ground. The owlets around her scrambled.

_Thanks, guys..._ These chicks definitely weren't the bravest. She was going to get right back up, when a flash of white caught her eye. It zipped over her head along with two other, darker flashes. A shrill shriek ripped through the air, silencing everyone all at once. It sent chills down Gia's spine, making her bones go as cold as the floor she was laying on. It was as if the noise could hurt somebody like a weapon, threatening anyowl to speak and interrupt it.

She got back onto her feet, trying not to move much as she did so since everyowl else was still, their eyes locked on something up above. Gia looked up, too, to see what had everyowl's attention. There was a rock that looked as if it had been carved to get it's squarish shape, and on either side of it there was a perch sticking out with a Tyto soldier perched upon it. Pure Ones, just like the other soldiers, like the one who had pushed her. The owl that had everyowl was looking at, though, was the one on top of the rock. She had no battle claws and no helmet, but her feathers were as white as freshly fallen snow. Freshly fallen snow that was stained with the blood red colors of the Pure Ones, that is. Even from the distance Gia could still see her striking blue eyes, looking over the crowd. She didn't seem very impressed.

"I am Nyra. Abla General of St. Aegolius," She looked down at the owlets beneath her, taking each one in. She still didn't seem very impressed. "and queen of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones."

_No...way. _Gia's beak hung open. _That's Nyra! Queen Nyra! _She had read about the general in the book Legend Of The Guardians. The book described her to be sinister, but the picture of her was beautiful. She was even more breath taking in person. It was a good thing Gia didn't know how to fly, or else she would have flown up to touch her to make sure she was real.

"Your parents and families have left you. They no longer care for any of you," She spoke slowly, taking a pause so that it sunk in, "From now on, you will be classified as orphans. You need not worry, for the Pure Ones are your family now. We have rescued you, and for our generosity you will serve us."

Gia blinked. She knew for a fact that her Aunt Angela had not left her, that she had been snatched. Of course, she was already an orphan...

Nyra flew down to the platform, scaring a lot of the owlets in the process. She instructed the snatchers to gather the owlets and break them into appropriate groups, then she flew off with her two guards trailing behind her. Gia sensed how bored she was. She sounded as if she did this several times a day, and she probably did. Gia wanted to watch Nyra fly away until she was out of sight, maybe see where she was going to, when owlets everywhere began to trample her. The Pure One soldiers started rounding them up, which sent panic shooting off everywhere.

Gia searched the crowd for her captor, Max, hoping that he could help her within all this confusion, but all the snatchers seemed to have left. She thought she caught a glimpse of one of the owls that was a part of the snatcher's group, it might have even been Max, but she got knocked over by a jumpy owlet before she could be sure.

One of the Pure One soldiers pulled her up roughly by the shoulder, then shoved her into the mess of owlets. At first she was squished by panicking bodies, but soon the soldiers forced the chicks all into a single file. Gia barely managed to take a deep breath before the line of owlets started moving, forcing her to follow along with them. The soldiers, around five of them, were on either side of the line.

Gia couldn't see the owl at the head of the line, but she figured some soldier was leading them. They walked down a long corridor, its walls getting tighter the further they went, especially when compared to the open platform they came from. As they traveled through the corridor, she saw holes in the walls that led to other pathways. Some of the entrances to the pathways were on the ground and could be walked through, while some were high up and could only be reached by flying. Some of the pathways even looked specifically meant to be flown through.

Two soldiers flew out of the lower entrances and approached the line of chicks. Gia was startled, as was most of the owlets. One of the soldiers stood next to the line as they walked by, studying each of them. Then the soldier pulled out one of the chicks, a very young one, and pushed him to the other soldier. The tiny little chick was nothing more than a fluff ball, still having trouble walking straight. He started to cry in protest, but the second soldier just told him to be quiet and stand still.

The first soldier plucked out another owlet, and then another. Gia began to worry that he would pick her as she walked by him, as if being chosen would mean utter doom and horror, but he just gave her a quick look than moved on to the next owlet. She saw that the group of chicks he's picked so far, about four, were all of very young ages.

He picked out another one. Make that five.

"Isabelle!" The chick screamed. He was the one with the branch.

The whole line seemed to freeze for half a second before the soldier in the back yelled for them to keep moving. They all did so, but the owlets close enough kept their eyes on the drama happening with the chick holding the branch.

A lean Barn Owl owlet, the one that Gia guessed was the chick's older sister, pulled him out of the soldier's talons and wrapped him in her wings. The soldier was ticked. He grabbed the older owlet's wing and tried to pull the chick loose. She didn't say anything, but she wasn't letting go, either. The young chick was crying, holding onto his sister, while the Pure One was yelling at her to let go. Finally the soldier smacked her with his wing across her face, knocking her off her talons. He ripped the chick away and basically threw him to the second Pure One.

Another Pure One dragged the older sister to her feet and pushed her back in line. Gia heard some fierce whispering from the soldier, but she couldn't make out what he said. The two soldiers that had came ordered the young chicks in a single file like Gia's group, and then they led them down one of the pathways on the ground. Soon the two soldiers and their small group of chicks were out of sight, and the older sister of that chick with the branch followed along with her own group. She was only three owlets behind Gia, and Gia could hear her sniffling.

Gia had to admit she was impressed by her bravery, but that was one of the most depressing things she had ever witnessed.

More soldiers came out of the entrances around the corridor the further they went. Each time one or two Pure Ones picked out a bunch of owlets in the line, then took them off down a different pathway. They were collecting the owlets by their age, Gia quickly realized, and was relieved when she wasn't picked off. Only owlets her age were left now, and she had a feeling they were going to keep going where they were originally heading to.

Now she could see the soldier up front that was leading them, and take a close look at the owlets in her group. There were four of them, including the lean Barn Owl, whom was still sniffling. Most of them had their heads down with only one other chick than Gia curious enough to look around, but even he looked like it was the end of the world.

"Halt," the leading soldier said suddenly. Gia was the only one who didn't jump when he said that.

They had stopped in front of a big, rounded entrance. There was a ledge on top of the entrance, with another Pure One soldier perched upon it, staring down at them with her bright red eyes. She had the same helmet and claws as every other Pure One Gia had seen so far, but she also held a long spear that looked like it was made out of the same material as the canyon.

_Well, that's new. _She must have been the guard to the entrance, which made Gia eager to see what was inside that she was guarding. Out of the group of owlets, only Gia looked the guard in the eyes, actually tilting her head back so she could do so. Again, the armor, the weapons, and the red eyes fascinated her. She wondered what exactly made a Pure Ones eyes glow red?

The soldier that had lead them there now stood aside and looked at owlets. "This is the Dormitory, and it's where you'll be staying during your months of training. There will be no fighting, arguing, complaining, or disobeying commands. You will not leave the Dormitory unless granted permission to do so. Break any of these rules and you shall be punished without question. Do not ask any questions, bring any food or drinks, or sleep in more than one nest."

He gestured with a sweep of his wing for them to enter, which was surprisingly polite. "Enter now."

No owl questioned him. The line of owlets went inside one by one into the Dormitory, Gia being the second to last, with the lean Barn Owl behind her. She was shaking with the suspense to see what was inside, but she stopped before she did, with one foot in the air.

She turned her head to the Pure One that had lead her here and smiled. "Thank you," she said with a nod.

Gia didn't know who was more shocked, the soldier or the owl behind her. Regret once again swirling around with embarrassment, she rushed inside before she could say anything else. She really had to learn to keep her beak shut, like Max had said.

Her thoughts would have turned to thinking about Max if she hadn't been transfixed by the sight before her. It was like a gigantic stone made hollow, with little holes drilled in all along the walls that made for beds. There was at least forty or more holes that were randomly placed in each of the walls, but there was only half that many owlets. They weren't really owlets anymore, since they were all around Gia's and her group's age.

All of the owls were in their hollows in the wall, poking their heads out to get a look at the newcomers. Gia suddenly felt shy as she realized she was the newbie here. She smiled and gave a small wave at the owls staring at her, trying to make a good first impression. She would have said something if the guard with the spear hadn't entered.

"Pick a hollow and stay in it," she ordered, her voice harsh, "You begin training at the break of dusk, so I suggest you get some sleep while you still can." With that said, she left.

Gia felt more embarrassment when the other new owls flew off to find an empty hollow to sleep in. Unable to fly, she walked over to one of the ground hollows. She inspected each one on the left wall, which was the side she chose. Turns out she could get any of them, since they were all empty. After having careful consideration, she settled into the biggest hollow that had a ledge on one side that could act as a shelf if she ever had anything.

The nest didn't have any bedding in it, so she had to make due with putting together a rock made nest. It wasn't nearly as comfy as her nest back at home, which had soft moss, knitted blankets, and down feathers her aunt had plucked from her own plumage for her. This hollow also didn't have any owlipoppens, flowers, or books. Books! How would she live without being able to read her books? And the precious things she had at home, like her mother's necklace and her father's battle claws. What about the painting of her parents? How would she sleep without having those things nearby?

She laid her head down on the rock that she would use for a pillow, all of the excitement of her first day at St. Aegolius now gone. She began to feel the first pang of home sickness, as if it had been building up without her knowing it. It hit her hard, and a few tears watered her eyes. Only now did she wonder if she would ever see home again. She was sure she would, but when? She hadn't thought of how long she would be here...

Something yellow fell in front of her eyes, scaring Gia so badly that she almost screamed. She was grateful that she didn't, or else she might have woken up the entire Dormitory. After being snatched by a complete stranger, carried through a thunder storm and across various other lands, being forcefully taken to the Canyon Lands, seeing the Queen of the Pure Ones herself, and having Pure One soldiers push her left and right, the only thing that had truly frightened was a bright yellow flower. She had forgotten all about putting the flower in her head feathers, and was quite surprised to see that it stayed in.

The bright yellow flower of her Earleaf Tree, of her home, where her one and only family member was. Guilt washed over her, flooding her with the home sickness she was already full of. Her Aunt Angela...She must have returned home hours ago. Gia could only imagine her shock when she didn't see Gia in the hollow. She must have thought the worse just like Gia did when Max had intruded into her tree. Crazy owls that would love to get their claws on a Tyto aurantia. Snatching her, plucking her, cutting her, cooking her, eating her. All these thoughts must still be flying through her Auntie's head. If only there was some way to tell her aunt that she was fine, that she was safe.

Gia sniffed the flower, taking in it's gentle, sweet scent. She let her tears drip onto the petals, letting them slide down into the center of the flower. She kissed the flower as if she was saying goodlight to it, and carefully placed it on the ledge.

She settled back down into her rocky nest, feeling for the first time that day how tired she was. Her eyelids felt heavy and her eyes dry, and her body begged for sleep. She focused on what tomorrow would bring, and let her worries slip away with the lyrics of a song that she played in her mind.

_Everybody, everybody wants to love._

_Everybody, everybody wants to be loved._

_Oh, oh, oh._

_Just let the love, love, love begin..._

* * *

**This chapter ended up being a little longer than I originally planned it to be, but I hope you all still enjoyed it. Thank you to everybody who has read my story this far and special thanks to those who reviewed. Knowing that people are reading and reviewing my story gets me so excited and even more eager to write the next chapter! If you have any critique, I will gladly accept it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole, and I do not own the song Everybody. **

**This story belongs to me, though, and you may not use it any way. **

**Thank you again for reading my story! You guys are awesome! **

**-GG**


	3. At The Bottom of the Totem Poll

"Wake up! Wake up! I'm not going to repeat this again, understood? Line up single file in less than ten minutes or face the punishment!" It was the guard's voice, the one that stood outside the Dormitory. The one with the creepy spear.

Gia yawned and rubbed her eyes. How early was it? She felt like she could sleep for another few hours. Her feet were cold and dusty from laying on the rock made nest, and her shoulders ached from being hunched over in the cramped space. Even though she picked the largest ground hollow, it was still only one fourth the size of her Earleaf Tree hollow.

She gladly stretched her wings outside the hollow. There wasn't any windows or holes to bring in any natural light, so the Dormitory was dark and shadowy. It made her want to crawl back into her nest and snooze the night away.

Other young owls were flying out of their hollows higher up in the walls. Most of them were quietly preening by themselves, or whispering among small groups. Gia's heart quickened. She couldn't tell if she was excited or nervous. These owls were all her age, and in training to become Pure Ones, just like she was. For the time in her life, this was her chance to meet new friends. First impression. It was all about first impressions.

She took a deep breath and walked up to the largest group. There were about eight of them, all crowded around in a tight circle. They chatted back and forth to one another, but kept their voices low. Something in the middle of the circle seemed to have everyowl's attention. No owl had noticed Gia yet, even though she was right behind them.

She cleared her throat and thought happy thoughts. Brightly colored flowers, butterflies, mangoes... A good sized smile came to her face. She held the smile and lifted her head up. "Hi, everyowl! My name is Gia. What's yours?"

Two owls looked back at her, then at each other, then went back to whatever they were looking at.

_Nice to meet you, too, _Gia thought. These owls weren't part of the group that Gia had been with yesterday when she was first brought here. These birds had been training here for who knows how long. They were in the middle of becoming Pure Ones, and Pure Ones were bold, brave, and strong. She had to be like that, too.

She gathered up her courage and marched right in between the two owls. She pushed them aside when they tried to block her, which made them both growl. They glared venomously at her, but Gia didn't notice at all. She was staring at what was happening in the center of the circle, and she didn't like what she saw.

Two large Barn Owls were pushing a small Sooty Owl into a corner. The smaller of the two Barns, the female, took a jump and slammed her talons into the Sooty. The Sooty hit the wall before tumbling down to the ground. She didn't whine or cry, just spat on the ground and glared at the one whom had pushed her.

"You thought you were so cool when you flew higher than me, didn't you? You knew I was tired from hovering, so that's why you did it. You wanted to make yourself look stronger in front of everyowl, in front of Cinder," The female Barn said, bending over so that she was near the Sooty's face.

She took a step forward, her talon inches from the Sooty's face. The small, dark owl started to get back up, but the Barn pushed her right back down. The other Barn Owl, the male, came over and pushed the Sooty back further into the corner.

"Well, I've got news for you, Dusty. No owl cares for a Sooty. No owl, so you might as well give up now. And if you ever fly higher than me again..."

The owls in the group started to chuckle and whisper again. They were smiling as they backed away, making room for the two Barn Owls that were beating this poor bird named Dusty. Gia couldn't believe them. Here this owl was in need of help, and all they were going to do was stand there and point talons. There was no way that she was going to do that, too.

The bigger Barn raised his foot and swung it back. Dusty had already flinched and coiled up, bracing for the blow, when the Barn Owl lost his balance. Something had grabbed his foot, and now he was tumbling into the wall next to the Sooty Owl. The female Barn caught him and pushed him back to his feet, then turned to face Gia.

Gia came right up to Barn Owl, tilting her head back to look her in the eyes. "Leave her alone." It was a cliché, but it was the best she could come up with.

The male Barn Owl had regained his balance, and was marching over to Gia when the female Barn extended her wing, halting him. She stood up taller, as if she wasn't towering over Gia already.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was smooth and full of authority. Gia seriously wished she felt as confident as she did right now.

"I said leave that owl alone. It's not nice, so stop it...please." Gia couldn't have sounded more pathetic. She hated herself for sounding so weak, but she wasn't backing down.

The Barn Owl looked to be considering the best way to demolish her, then she smirked and laughed.

"You must be one of the newbies," she said, walking around Gia, "I am Fiona, and this is my brother, Emmanuel." She gestured to the bigger Barn Owl, whom was still sizzling over what Gia did to him.

Fiona came close and plucked one of Gia's head feathers, earning a small "ow" from her. She studied the feather closely, as if she were judging it. "If I were you, I'd stay quiet til you learn the rankings, because..." she flicked the feather in Gia's face, "you're pretty low on the totem poll."

She smiled and walked away, ordering the group to follow. Emmanuel was the last to leave, his unblinking glare finally breaking as he followed his sister. Gia realized as the group left that all of them were Barn Owls, or Tyto albas. _Hmm...I wonder why..._ Then she remember the Sooty Owl.

The Sooty was just starting to stand up again, her legs shaking a little as she did. She was leaning against the wall, her feathers fluffed up in agitation. Gia rushed over and extended her wing, helping the Sooty back onto her feet. She thought happy thoughts again and gave Dusty her warmest smile.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay-"

"Don't touch me!" Dusty slapped her wing away, using the wall to pull herself up. She puffed her feathers and shook herself from head to tail, then glared at Gia.

Gia was shocked. "I was just trying to help-"

"I don't need your help, or your pity, so just stay away from me." Dusty bumped her with her shoulder as she stormed off. She spread her wings and took flight, not once looking back at Gia, who was still standing there, trying to process what just happened.

Gia hadn't been expecting any repayment, but she definitely wasn't expecting that. How hard was it to say a simple "thank you"? Or just a nice nod of the head? She stood up for this Dusty, and for that she was sure that she was put on Fiona's and Emmanuel's list of target owls.

She sighed. What a great way to start the night.

* * *

Gia walked near the back of the line as the guard to the Dormitory lead them down one of the many corridors of the Canyon Lands. She didn't know how many pathways there were here, but she guessed there were any. How on Earth did these Pure Ones remember all the pathways, she had no idea.

Soon the line stopped. She look around the room they had entered. It was so big it couldn't even be labeled a room, just a large space blocked on the sides by the gray walls of the canyons. Two sides were blocked off by the canyon's walls, and that was on Gia's left and right. Behind her was the way they came, and in front of her was a long path that she couldn't see the end of.

"We have five newbies here tonight, Instructor. I'll let you handle them from here," said the Dormitory guard.

A dark blur flew down from one of the hidden ledges in the large area. A somewhat small, but well toned, owl had landed in front of them. Her feathers were mostly dark gray with many speckles of black, and her face was stricter than any owl Gia had seen before. Another Sooty Owl, and Gia had the feeling she wasn't any more friendly than the last Sooty she had met.

"Great, that's all I need. A bunch of clumsy crash landers, and not even a week before the Finals," She huffed, "This will look great on my report."

The amount of sarcasm in her voice almost hurt. Gia had just met the lady and already she was getting the feeling that this owl was a stern one. She didn't let herself think negatively of her, though. Negativity never gets anyowl anywhere. So she focused on good thoughts, and hoped that this owl was nicer than she looked.

As if to throw that hope down a hole, the Sooty Owl barked at the line of owls before her. "Listen up! You all know your positions, and for those rookies who don't, hold your stance and wait for my call! Now move!"

All the owls, except for Gia and the new four, flew up and over to a place in area. Now that the line had moved, Gia could see that their was a pit right before the never-ending pathway up ahead. The owls all gathered in a circle around the pit, each seeming to have a specific position.

_Oh goodness... _Gia's nervousness crept back into her. Training. She had never thought about how exactly she would be training. She started feeling anxiety closing in on her, and suddenly breathing seemed impossible. There was a reason the Pure Ones were so strong, so their training was probably very harsh.

Forcing herself to stand tall, she focused on the good thoughts and tried to ignore the bad ones. This was her first night training here, and she was certain that they would go lightly on a new recruit's first night. _Chick steps, _she told herself, _Little, itty, bitty, chicky steps..._

The Sooty Owl approached them, then pointed her wing at the first owl. It was the lean Barn Owl that was related to that chick with the branch from yesterday. Gia remember how scared she looked when she first saw Jatt carrying her, and now she looked three times more terrified.

The Sooty Owl introduced herself as Instructor Cinder, and that she would be their flight instructor and would be preparing them for the Pure One Training Academy, where they would train to become proper soldiers. Right now all they were doing was testing them to see which were the best, and to work on those whom lacked in certain fields.

She asked the Barn Owl her species, as if it weren't obvious, and then circled her twice. Instructor Cinder checked out her wing span, her talons, her feathers, and even her face, making the poor Barn beyond the point of uncomfortable. After looking her over she deemed her a name: 53-24.

_53-24? What kind of a name is that? It sounds like a name you would give a room at a hotel, _Gia thought. The Pure Ones' ways fascinated her, but they were kind of odd. What was wrong with their old names? She thought she remembered hearing the chick with the branch call out the Barn Owl's old name. Isabelle, if she remembered correctly.

Instructor Cinder then sent 53-24 away, showing her where to stand in the circle of owls around the pit. Then Cinder did the same to the next owl. She would ask their species, look them over, give them a number name, place away, then repeat. Then it was Gia's turn.

"What is your spe-" Cinder stopped, then her face scrunched up in confusion. She walked around Gia three times, looking closely at her feathers and wings. The more she looked the more confused she became. The other owls in the pit noticed, though they didn't say anything.

Finally Instructor Cinder stood in front of her, narrowing her eyes. "What is your species?"

"Um...Golden Masked Owl, ma'am." Gia didn't know what the big deal was about. Sure she was rare, but this owl must know what kind of Tyto she was.

Cinder looked even more confused now, and her confusion clearly angered her. "Is this some kind of joke? You dare mess with me?"

"No, ma'am! Never!" Fear pricked at Gia and made her feathers stick to her small figure as Cinder puffed up in anger. Only one thought went through Gia's mind. _Anger management, _was all she could think.

"Major!" Cinder called out, "Major!"

Seconds later a much larger owl flew into the area. A Barn Owl with a powerful looking wing span. In only a few strokes he had made it out of the pathway he had come from and over to Cinder, landing swiftly. There was a red bandana over his left eye, with a scar peeking out from behind it.

_Whoa. _This owl was an amazing example of a Pure One. She could only imagine how he had lost his eye, and the idea of it sent shivers shaking down her back.

"What is it this time, Flight Instructor?" Major sounded ticked, like he had been in the middle of something when she had called him.

Cinder half smacked Gia with her wing when she pointed at her. "What species of owl is this?" She spoke to him like it was his fault that she didn't know the answer.

Major snickered. "Last I checked, that was your job, Instructor. You can't expect me to fix every little problem tha-" His eyes rolled over to Gia's direction, and he lost track of his sentence. Startled confusion swept over his face, similar to Cinder's.

He grabbed Gia's chin and yanked her forward, taking a good long look at her. He pushed her back and circled her once while she rubbed her face, but he still looked confused.

"What kind of Tyto are you?" he said, sounding like he had just found a secret to one of life's most deepest meanings, and yet couldn't figure out what it meant.

"Didn't I just ask you that?" Cinder snapped, but Major paid her no attention.

"Well, she's obviously some kind of Masked Owl."

Gia couldn't believe it. These owls really didn't know what she was. "I'm a Golden Masked Owl," she said, "A Tyto aurantia."

A moment passed with the two owls just staring at her, looking too baffled to speak. It was like she could hear the gears shifting in their heads as they rummaged through the piles of knowledge they had, searching for an answer, or at least an explanation to why they couldn't find one. Apparently they found nothing.

Major shook his head, done with beating his brain over this matter. "Just place her as Third Class Masked Owl." He said to the flight instructor, then turned and flew off.

Cinder was unhappy, but she had no choice but to go with it. She looked at Gia. With Major now gone her anger directed towards her. "You shall be addressed as 53-28. Follow me." She flew over to the pit and directed her to stand in between two Masked Owls.

Gia came over and took her place. Watching her walk to her spot indicated Cinder that she could not fly, and her displeasure was obvious as she groaned and mumbled things to herself. She flapped to the center of the pit, then stood tall with her chin up. Everyone was already quiet, but they were all more alert now.

"Today we'll start off with a simple upright flying exercise. You will all flap your wings and fly up, and then when I give the word you will all fly down. It's very simple, so I don't expect anyowl to be messing up. Begin!"

A quick burst of anxiety exploded in Gia's chest. Instructor Cinder had been so sudden, and when she shouted that last word she hadn't seen it coming. She had been expecting a long speech, or some demonstrated stretches and warm ups first.

All the owls around her all started flapping their wings. Some were already well up in the air. Breezes stirred up by the amount of flapping caused waves of dust and dirt to fly up with them. The Masked Owl on her right kept hitting her with his wing as he tried to get off the ground, and the owl on her left was high above her, flapping dust into her face from his rough flying.

Instructor Cinder had already begun to shout out orders to the owls failing, and in panic Gia decided to start flapping as well before Cinder yelled at her. It was strange to feel her wings completely stretched out, and even stranger to flap them. She coughed and rapidly blinked her extra eyelids, the ones owls have when dirt gets in their eyes, which was happening a lot to her at the moment.

It took several flaps, each faster than the last, to get herself off the ground. Feeling her talons leave the ground sent more anxiety coursing through her, but she couldn't stop. She bit her beak and flapped harder, and saw herself rising up, the ground getting further away.

_Just don't look down, _she told herself. That helped with the fear, but not with the stress. Almost everyowl was flying higher than her, and the three that weren't were getting close to passing her. She heaved in a big breath and used it to pump her wings, but she still rose slowly. One of the owls passed her.

"Come on, 53-28! Higher! Higher!" her flight instructor called, "I said higher!" Now she was shrieking.

Her wings had already begun to ache and her lungs felt flattened, and she had only been flying for a few minutes, or maybe even just a minute. She stretched her wings far, which made her drop a little, but when she flapped them she earned a couple inches higher. She stuck with that tactic, sucking in pockets of air then holding her breath for a few seconds. Every air molecule she breathed in seemed to be used up before it reached her lungs. Her wings burned as if they were set on fire, and her throat had become so parched. That's when she realized that she hasn't had breakfast yet.

She was miserable.

"And...Drop! Slowly!" Instructor Cinder added the last part when she saw a few of her students, one of them being Gia, literally stop flapping and dropped.

Gia bit her beak. It hurt so bad. All she wanted to do was stop, she didn't care if it meant a crash landing. She flew down slowly anyway, not wanting to look weak, and breathing the best she could through the pain. Going down was easier, but it didn't hurt any less.

Her talons touched the ground, and she would have sang in joy if her oxygen level wasn't depleted. For years she had wanted to fly, but she had never known how energy draining it could be. It wasn't as breezy as she had imagined it. Felt more like forcing herself into the air rather than letting the wind carry her.

Instructor Cinder studied the group, then nodded. "Again."

* * *

"Wake up! Wake up! I'm not going to say it again! Get out here and line up in less than ten minutes!" The Dormitory guard called out.

Gia had to force her eyelids open. If she had trouble opening her eyes how on Earth did these Pure Ones expect her to get up, let alone train tonight? She didn't want to move. Oh, how she did not want to move. It always hurt the most when she first wakes up. She wasn't moving, and she could still feel her aching body with every pump of her heart.

For three nights now she had been training with the Pure Ones, in something called the Training Academy. From overhearing some of the soldiers and instructors talking she's learned that she was in the Prepping Stage of the Training Academy. Her real training to become a Pure One would begin when they decided she was old enough and ready.

Some of the other owls she trained with came to the Pure Ones a long time ago, some even hatched from their eggs here. Hearing them chat about it from the safety of her hollow let her know that the Prepping Stage was basically the raising of the owlets brought into the Canyon Lands. She was at the last stage, known as the Final Stage, and if she could complete it she would be put into the real Training Academy.

As much as this excited her, she was discouraged from the fact that she wasn't training to be a Pure One yet. Her nightly training was already rough. How much harder would the real training be? Every night there was a new exercise, which made a new part of her body hurt, as if the rest of her body wasn't already screaming. She had only been training for three nights, and yet she could hear her bones popping as she stood up on shaky legs.

_Ow... _She thought. She stepped outside her hollow, stretching each wing slowly. She gave them a gentle flap and winced at the soreness. Yep, her wings still hurt from yesternight's hover practice. She looked at her talons, and groaned when she saw that her left foot was slightly purple. And her foot still hadn't healed from that crash landing. Joy.

She fluffed her feathers and went to join the forming line of trainee owls. She was a Third Class Masked Owl, and that meant that she was near the middle of the line. She stepped in between the two Masked Owls that she always trained side by side with. Flapper and Crazy, she had named them. She didn't know their real names so she just called them that. She called the one in front of her Crazy because he often flew like his tail feathers were on fire, and she called the one behind her Flapper because he always flapped his wings in her face, since he often had difficulty getting off the ground.

Flapper and Crazy were also Third Class Masked Owls. From random moments of overhearing she learned more of the odd, but still fascinating, ways of the Pure Ones. The Pure Ones believed that Tyto Owls, especially Pure Ones, were more pure than other owls, and it turns out they thought that some Tytos were purer than others. The whiter a Tyto's heart shaped face, the more pure that Tyto was. Barn Owls were the most pure, second came Masked Owls, then Grass Owls, then finally the Sooties.

The Pure Ones also judged a Tyto on just about everything else. Speed, agility, size, the ability to take orders, you name it. She had even heard rumors of being ranked on rage. She had heard Fiona talking about it, saying that the real Training Academy had lessons on teaching the soon to be soldiers on rage, anger, and hatred.

Gia was a Golden Masked Owl, grouped under all Masked Owls, and that made her second to best to the group of Barn Owls. She was placed Third Class because of a multitude of reasons. She was a rather small owl, and she wasn't the best flier or fighter. She wasn't going to let that hold her back, though, Third Class Masked Owl or not.

_Think happy thoughts. _As the line started moving, she focused on the positive around her, and refused to let the negative bring her down in any way. Tonight was going to be different, she could feel it in her gizzard.

Ten minutes later the class of owls had gathered around in The Pit, which is what they called the pit where they trained. Instructor Cinder was in the center of The Pit, as usual, but she was holding something in her talons. It was small, and roundish, and had iron bars around it. There was something bright blue inside of it, and the bright color almost startled Gia as much as when she saw it move.

"Welcome, class," Cinder began, "As most of you already know, we hold a test at the end of every moon cycle, to see who among you are the best. All of you will be presented in front of the High Tyto himself, and then he will decide which of you will be moving on in the Training Academy, while the rest are sent back with the shame of failing the test."

Excitement bubbled inside Gia, threatening to explode at any second. She had read in her book, Legend Of The Guardians, that the High Tyto was king of the Pure Ones. Metal Beak, the most legendary of all the High Tytos, had been the king until Soren impaled him with a burning branch, leaving the king's wife, Queen Nyra, in charge. Gia had no idea that a new High Tyto had arisen. To actually see the king of St. Aegolius sounded like a fantasy, but here her Flight Instructor was, telling her that she would meet him.

"The ones who do the worst will be punished, with the punishment decided by the High Tyto," Cinder continued. Gia was so lost in her thoughts that she had almost missed that part.

Cinder opened the iron contraption, which turned out to be a small cage. A series of chirps came from the cage when she did that, and Gia realized that the blue thing was a bird. A Bluebird. She hadn't seen any little birds or bright colors in nights. She found herself bobbing her head upside down to try and see the bird better. The bright blue...it was addicting.

"Now then, let's see which of you is the strongest, the fastest," Cinder snatched the bird, smiling at it as if she was considering eating it. The little bird screamed out high pitched tweets, trying to shake free. "the purest!"

With that, Cinder threw the little bird in the air. It flew down the never ending alley, making Gia miss its stunning color. She didn't want to lose sight of such a beautifully colored bird. She wanted to follow it, but before she could she was knocked face first into a wall.

The moment the bird took flight, the owls in her class went into a crazed frenzy, as if they had all lost their minds. They kicked, shoved, and stepped over one another as they all scrambled in the direction of the bird. Gia stayed near the wall until the horde of shrieking owls had passed, staying out of the way so she wasn't thrown into another wall. No way she was getting trampled.

"53-28!Get out there!" Cinder screamed at her.

Gia blinked, and did a quick double take between Cinder and the alley before heading off. She took a running start and flapped her wings, if not awkwardly, but she got herself in the air. She flew off to get away from Cinder more than anything, but soon she found herself wanting that beautiful blue bird.

It was hard keeping herself up. It was as if gravity had a rope tied to her and was trying to pull her to the ground. She felt every bone, feather, and muscle in her wings, and it all hurt. Muscles that were just starting to heal now felt as if they were wounds being ripped back open, pain pouring out of them.

Already she was panting.

It made the back of her neck ache, but she looked up to see the other owls. They were far ahead, a mass of clumsy flapping wings and feathers, all of them screeching. She could only make out a glimpse of the Bluebird as they rounded a corner, but there were too many owls to see what was going on up front.

From the looks of it, it was going to be impossible for her to catch the bird, which she guessed was the goal for the test. Disappointment filled her as she realized she was at the back of the pack. There was no way she was going to be able to catch the bird, but she didn't want to come in last place.

Her wings had begun to burn, and the burning intensified when she flapped harder. A Grass Owl was up ahead, flying higher than her. She took in a deep breath, and flapped her wings until she felt like screaming.

She bolted faster, faster than she ever had before. The wind whipped in her face, a welcoming feeling that cooled her. A small bit of pride bloomed inside her when she passed the Grass Owl. She almost forgot about the pain in her wings. A small victory, yes, but it was a start.

She focused on keeping the pace, and she felt herself rise up easier with the speed. She had to make sure she stayed in front of the Grass Owl before she began trying to pass the two other owls in the distance. If she stayed steady, she might be able to catch up with them soon.

She was feeling excited, happy even, when a huge burst of pain hit her in the side and shoulder. Something had collided into her. She was sent off rocketing toward the ground, her vision spinning as she plummeted. _Mayday! Mayday! _She shrieked and spun around, flapping wildly to right herself. She had almost hit a wall for the second time that night, and now she was only a few feet from the ground.

Her wings were shaking from the pain as she tried to regain altitude. Her left wing hurt especially. It felt as if it might snap if she pushed too hard. Taking deep breaths as she flew forward again, she saw the Grass Owl zip by her, flying fast to catch up with the others. He shot her a devious smile.

Gia's eyes widened. _He hit me! _The pain in her left wing worsened like it agreed with that. She tossed her back to look over at her Flight Instructor, whom was flying at a leisurely pace behind them. She didn't shout anything. She didn't do anything. All she did was smile at the Grass Owl with pride, or was it joy? Did that Sooty Owl actually enjoy watching one of her students nearly break a wing?

Looking up ahead again, she saw similar things happen with her classmates. That same Grass Owl slammed into another owl, sending him crashing into the owl flying next to him. Other owls further up were getting knocked side to side as well, some hitting the ground during their fall. It wasn't just that, Gia realized, as the racers did everything they could to stop their competition.

They kicked. They bit. They screeched. They threw rocks, one in which almost hit Gia. She could only imagine the amount of injuries at the end of the test. These Pure Ones really had to work on their safety standards, because this was just messed up. Trainee soldiers weren't going to be very useful if they broke a limb.

She pumped her wings again, but the pain was making her eyes water. There was only so much she could take. The burst of speed she had used when passing that Grass Owl had sucked out her energy, and all that got her was being knocked back down to last place. Now her shoulder hurt more than anything else. She had enough strength left to fly, but not enough to move forward in the competition.

She had been so excited to meet the High Tyto. She wanted to present herself as one of the best owls in the class, or at least one of the decent, but she was one of the worst. Scratch that, the worst. The king of St. Aegolius was going to see her as the worst student in the class, and she remembered Cinder saying something about there being a punishment for the owls who do the worst. As if the shame of the whole ordeal wasn't enough.

Some of the owls got knocked to the side, and Gia could then see the ones closing in on the bird. The three closest looked to be Fiona, Emmanuel, and a big red owl that she didn't know. Fiona and her brother kept charging at the red owl, trying to push her aside, but each time they got close the red owl would swoop out of the way. Then they had to regain their balance and start again, which Gia assumed was probably frustrating.

They were getting close. Any second now one of them would catch the bird and the race would be over. There was no chance that she could make up the distance and get the bird, and Gia knew that. Even if she had the speed, there was no way she could pass her aggressive classmates. Most of them were larger than her, and could knock her away easily. She wouldn't hurt an owl in this race even if she had the size to do it, it just wasn't nice.

She wanted to be a Pure One, though, and not just any Pure One. Not the Pure One that came in last place in the Final Test Race, but the Pure One who caught the Bluebird and won. She wanted to be that owl, and she going to be that owl. She was going to make herself, and the king, proud. She was going to win the race, and she knew how.

A crazy idea came to her mind. The owls up ahead were passing a tall pole, one of the many poles that held the red banner of the Pure Ones. A couple of owls got shoved into the pole, but they just shook it off and flew right back into the race. It was Gia's turn to fly by the pole, only she didn't. She lifted her shoulders and spread her wings out wide, then flapped hard and headed upwards. Spikes of pain ran through her wings and down her back, but she ignored it as best she could and kept going.

She raised and extended her talons like Cinder had taught her, then latched onto the top of the pole. She flapped her shaking wings to keep balance as the pole shook with her landing, but soon the whole thing steadied. She had stopped flying, and now the state her body was in hit her like a wave of pain and she nearly fell off the pole. Everything hurt at once, and the spots sparkling across her eyes didn't help.

She didn't have time to rest. In her dizzy vision she could see that one of the three owls closest to the bird had almost grabbed it. She was running out of time, so without a moment hesitation she tossed her head back and sucked in a huge breath. Then she sang. She sang the friendly song of the Bluebirds, calling out with whistles and chirps in her best imitation of their song.

Way up ahead Fiona and Emmanuel had closed in on the red owl. Fiona nodded to her brother and they both charged at her. The red owl saw this, and with a steady flap she bolted forward right as the sibling Barn Owls crashed into each other. She smirked and flew to the bird, leaving the other two to argue as they righted themselves. Once again they flew after her, but it too late.

The red owl extended her talons and aimed at the little bird in front of her. She was only inches away from her victory when the oddest song filled her ears. It sounded like a Tyto Owl that thought it was a song bird. She ignored it and focused on her target, but then the bird stopped.

The red owl zipped passed the bird, flying ten feet away from it in her momentum. She back flapped aggressively, trying to turn around, when Fiona smacked into the back of her. The red owl chucked her away, and Fiona pushed her back, looking for a fight. Then Emmanuel smashed into both of them, and they were all throw in different directions.

The Blue Bird couldn't remember the last time he heard that song. There was no way that there could be another one of his kind here, and yet he was hearing the friend calling song. He needed to find the bird singing. Instinct took over him, powered by loneliness, and he flew back. He flew passed the other young predator birds that were chasing him, startling them as he went by. Some tried to grab at him, while others crashed into one another as they were looking at him and not where they were going.

Instructor Cinder screeched, hovering in the air as she watched the blue bird fly back. She wouldn't have believed it if she didn't see it with her own eyes. The blue bird never flies back. He always flies away from the chasing students. What the hagsmire would cause him to fly the other way?

She heard a song come to her, echoing off the canyon walls. First off, singing wasn't allowed in St. Aegolius. Secondly, it sounded like the songs the blue bird would sometimes sing around the Canyon Lands, only she could see that the blue bird wasn't singing. Still shocked, she watched as the bird flew up to a banner. Then she saw the culprit making the music.

Gia smiled despite the pain. The little bird was coming right at her. _Ha ha! It worked! _She knew that all those years of making bird calls would pay off. He was only several feet away now, but he didn't seem to be coming any closer. He must have realized that she wasn't a Bluebird. If she was honest, she was hoping he would fly all the way to her and land in her talons, even though she knew that probably wouldn't happen. And it didn't.

_Aw, __c__ome on! _She didn't like the idea of flying again, which four nights ago would have sounded insane coming from her. She held her breath and strained her wings to raise them. She pretended that it didn't hurt, and dived down after the Bluebird. He chirped out a scream, but before he could move he was already in Gia's claws.

Gia swooped down as painlessly as she could manage, though she still cringed with the effort. The bird in her talons was screaming, pecking at her toes and trying to squirm free. With some difficulty she landed with one foot, keeping the bird safe in the other. She panted, wishing she could collapse on the ground.

The bird was freaking out, which was to be expected. She would freak out too if she was chased by a horde of giant, clumsy flying birds. Giant to the bird, that is, but even so Gia was pretty small compared to the other classmates.

"Are you alright?" She said to the bird. She half covered him with her wing, hoping this would calm him.

The bird froze and blinked at her. Did this owl seriously just ask him if he was alright? Well, the answer to that was no! He was most certainly not alright. This owl that was holding him was weird. She was probably crazy and was going to crush him with her wing that she was hovering above his face. He opened his beak and let loose a series of high pitched tweets, making Gia flinch with her sensitive hearing.

He was making it clear that he was uncomfortable in her talons, so she set him on the ground and let him go. He chirped and took off in an instant, flapping his little wings and going back down the alley. Gia missed him by the time he had flown five feet away.

"Wait!" she called, "Please, wait!"

The Bluebird stopped and hopped on a rock, looking back at the owl that had just snatched him. He was furious at her, furious that she had tricked him into thinking she was a Bluebird. To think he had gotten his hopes up.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you, I promise," she said, smiling, "I'm Gia."

He tilted his head. This owl definitely was weird, but she was also different than any other owl that he had met since he was dragged to the Canyon Lands. She had just smiled at him, and told him her name. She had promised not to hurt him, but of course she could be lying. Still, she seemed nice. It had been a while since he had seen a nice bird.

He took a hesitant hop forward, his head still tilted. He kept his wings in a launch position in case she decided to jump at him. He gave three tweets, which made her smile more. This made him curious, so he gave three more louder tweets. This time she giggled.

"You sure are a talkative little one," She reached out with her wing to touch him, but this startled him and he flew back shrieking at her. She took a few steps away, not wanting to scare him, and slowly extended her wing again. "Mind if I call you Twitter?"

Before the bird could react a Tyto shriek rang out. The bird tweeted in panic and fled down the alley, flying behind a ledge and disappearing from view. Gia had wanted to follow him until an angry looking Sooty Owl landed in front of her. It was Instructor Cinder, and she did not look happy.

"What were you thinking?" she said, stepping closer to Gia, "How dare you do that!"

"Do...what?" Gia bowed her head like she had been taught, and looked up at her Flight Instructor with confusion. Cinder looked as if she wanted to strangle her.

"Oh, so now you're going to ask a question? Questions are forbidden!" She rose a wing, preparing to strike her.

Gia had seen some of the other classmates get smacked by Cinder, but Gia hadn't been yet, and she didn't want to change that. She lowered her head some more and backed away. "I don't understand what it is that I did wrong. I caught the bird."

"You were supposed to use your speed and strength to catch it! Not singing! Singing is forbidden!" Cinder's chest was rising and falling with each angry breath, her feathers puffed out.

"You didn't give any rules. All you did was throw the bird, so I thought the object of the test was to catch him, and I did."

Out of the corner of her eye Gia saw movement, and dared to take her eyes off her instructor for a second's glance to look over her shoulder. The class had assembled behind her, all watching what was going on between her and their flight instructor. They all looked as agitated as Cinder did, glaring at her with annoyance. It was easy to spot out Fiona and Emmanuel in the crowd, since they looked the most furious.

She wouldn't be surprised if those two flew out of the crowd right now and started pummeling her, and she wouldn't be surprised if Cinder let them, either. She gulped and looked back at Cinder, whom was at a lost for words. Unfortunately whenever Cinder can't find anything to say her anger doubles, like it wasn't growing as it is.

Cinder rose a talon and pointed it at Gia's face. Her gritting beak turned up at the corners into an ugly smirk. "We'll just have to let the High Tyto choose a suitable punishment for you tomorrow at the Prepping Stage Graduation. Now, come. Training is done for tonight."

Her instructor passed by her, giving her that ugly smirk once more before taking flight. She flew over her class, ordering them to follow. The young owls each gave Gia a dirty before flying after their teacher.

Gia looked down at her talons. Her idea had gone horribly wrong, she hadn't made any friends, if anything her entire class hated her, and she was on the bad side of her teacher. Not to mention her whole body was on fire with the pain of the race. Fitting in with the Pure Ones was beginning to feel more like a fantasy than a possibility.

She sighed and went to take off, when she saw that a few owls haven't flown off with the rest of the class yet. It was that lean Barn Owl named Isabelle, and Dusty, the Sooty Owl that she had met a few nights ago. There was also that big red owl that had almost caught the bird and won the race. She was tall and muscular, and looked like she could crush Isabelle and Dusty as a warm up before smashing Gia.

Fear made Gia shrink in size, and she took a step back in humiliation. They didn't look mad, though. They appeared confused, like they were staring at some kind of alien plant. She then knew that they weren't going to hurt her, but the way they stared made her nervous. She opened her beak to say something, but stopped when the red Masked Owl raised her wings and flew away. The Barn Owl followed, and finally the Sooty did, too, after giving a last look at Gia.

After she decided they were far enough away, Gia gave her wings a gentle flap and flew down the alley as well. She wasn't going to say "could this night get any worse,", because she knew how disastrous the next night was going to be.

There was a bright side, and, despite everything that had happened tonight, she smiled at the thought of it. She held onto it, thinking about it, hoping for the best of it, and probably going to be dreaming about it when she fell asleep. Tomorrow she was going to the Prepping Stage Graduation, and the chances were it wasn't going to go that well for her, but she would meet the king. The actual king of the Pure Ones, and she was looking forward to it.

* * *

**Hi, everybody! I hope you all enjoyed reading Chapter 3. I'll admit it was a little hard to make, but I still loved writing it. I'm even more excited about writing Chapter 4! I've had Chapter 4 planned out since Chapter 1, so I'm looking forward to writing it. **

**Thank you all for reading my story, and special thanks to those who reviewed. I appreciate that you guys took the time to let me know how I'm doing with my first story. If you have any critique, just let me know. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole. **

**I do own this story, however, and you may not use it in any way. **

**Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you guys have a great day! **

**-GG**


	4. The First Spark

Sleeping that day was difficult, whether it was because she was excited about the Prepping Stage Graduation or dreaded the punishment it would bring. After tossing and turning all day long, the Dormitory Guard called out that it was time to awaken.

Gia jumped out of her nest so fast her head hit the ceiling. She stumbled out of her hollow, swaying from side to side and rubbing her head. It took a moment, but the pain of yesternight caught up with her. It hurt especially bad in her left shoulder. Her head began feeling light, and her swaying worsened.

"Okay...I'm going to sit down now," she said to herself, and flopped down on the floor. It felt so much better to just lay there.

Fiona flew by her on her way to line up, Emmanuel and some other First Class Barn Owls behind her. She stopped in front of her, halting the rest of her group. She smiled at the others, then at Gia. "Oh, look...It's the bird whisperer."

Her group chuckled, while Emmanuel just snickered. The wickedness in Fiona's eyes contradicted her smile as she approached her. Gia didn't notice, or if she did she didn't care. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"The night hasn't even begun and already you're defeated." Fiona extended her wing in a mock imitation to help her up.

Gia shook her head, still feeling dizzy. "No, just resting before the night does begin." She hooked Fiona's wing with her own, startling her. Since Fiona didn't do anything she used her wing to pull herself up. Fiona yanked her wing away while Gia leaned up against the canyon wall, rubbing her eyes again.

"Aw...didn't get much sleep last day? Did the idea of your punishment keep you up?" Fiona said.

Gia preened her wings while she talked, not wanting to look scruffy for her Graduation Night, even if she wasn't graduating. Gia was unaware that this deeply irritated Fiona. "Yeah, sleeping was rough, but I guess I'm just not used to sleeping in a rock nest, yet."

Emmanuel came up next to his sister, glaring down at Gia. Out of the two siblings, she guessed that the brother disliked her more, but she focused on cleaning the flight feathers on her wings instead of that.

"Did you know that the owls who graduate get taken to a new Dormitory?" He said, his tone leveled, though his expressions were angry.

"Yes," Fiona agreed, "I hear that graduates get these huge hollows they call Dorms. They say it's much comfier than this old Dormitory."

"Really?" Gia fluffed her feathers and started preening her other wing, but she kept her eyes on the Barns. "The soldier that brought me here said I would be here for months during my training."

"You dare doubt me?" Emmanuel seemed to puff up to twice his size, but before he could come any closer Fiona stopped him with her talon.

"Easy, big bro. She's new around here, remember? And obviously not the brightest. I'm sure she'll learn with time..." She said, and patted Gia's head with her wing, smirking.

Gia pulled away from her, trying not to think negatively. Only Auntie was allowed to pat her head like that. She gave her feathers one last fluffing, then came up to the two Barns. She took Emmanuel's talon and shook it, smiling.

"Happy Graduation Night," she said.

Emmanuel didn't say anything in return, all he did was look at the talon she was shaking, as if to say "Why are you touching me?" Gia then went to join the line forming up by the Dormitory entrance. The group of Barn Owls moved away from her as she did, like she was a witch and if she touched them they would all be horribly cursed.

Fiona watched as Gia walked away, narrowing her eyes. "There's something off about that bird. Emmanuel...keep an eye on her."

Emmanuel nodded, wiping the talon Gia shook on his chest.

* * *

The Dormitory guard soon gave the line of owls to Cinder, who then lead them down another one of the many pathways around St. Aggies. Gia had never been down this pathway before. It was large and open, with enough room that other owls were flying over them. After walking awhile, the pathway came to an abrupt stop at a cliff edge.

Gia smiled, her eyes widening to take it all in. Where the cliff ended there was nothing but air, and an amazing view of the Canyon Lands. Ever since she came here, she hasn't been able to see the sky. Now, she could see it. The nearly full moon was glimmering off everything before it, making an almost eerie glow across the canyons. The red flags and banners added a nice touch, like the icing to an already delicious cake.

"Take flight!" Cinder's voice boomed, sending a shake shooting down Gia's back.

Her daydream shattered and she was forced back into reality. Her flight instructor rose her wings and flew upwards off the cliff, flying into the open space. The class followed in order, with the Barns going first from First Class to Third Class. They spread out their wings and lifted into the air, some taking running starts and others capable of immediate take off. Next came the Masked Owls.

Fear shook Gia from head to tail. Memories of Max carrying her came to her mind. The height...Was she afraid of heights? She knew how to fly, and she was proud of herself for that fact, but she had never flown up that high before. The First Class Masked Owls flew away, then the Second Class Masked Owls did as well right after. Everything was happening in seconds. Already Flapper and Crazy were raising their wings.

_Oh...Fine! _She inhaled a huge breath, rose her wings, and took three steps for a head start. She flapped her wings and felt herself rise up. She stayed low, watching Crazy pass by above her and Flapper trying to fly by her side. It was fine until she went over the cliff. One second the ground was five feet under her, the next it was hundreds of feet away. Littered everywhere way down below were jagged rocks and pointy pillars that looked a lot smaller than she guessed they really were. The mass amount of air all around her was too much, and nearly made her faint.

She closed her eyes, but she figured that flying with her eyes closed was not the best idea. She did not want to hit another wall today. Her face still hurt from the one she hit yesternight. She half opened her right eye, just enough to see Crazy flying in front of her. If she followed him, she should be fine.

Next to her she could hear Flapper's heavy breathing as he tried to keep himself up. She didn't risk looking, but she was pretty sure that the First Class Grass Owls were behind her. All she had to do was keep up with the class.

_And don't look down, _Gia thought. She made herself think that the ground was only a few feet below her, so if she fell it wouldn't hurt...much. She flapped her wings repeatedly, worrying that if she stopped flapping she would plummet. Images of smacking the hard, rocky ground or being impaled by a sharp rock became stuck in her mind.

Trying her best to think happy thoughts, which was becoming increasingly difficult as more ideas of death slithered into her mind, she flew on. Each anxiety filled flap at a time. At one point Crazy began banking to the left and flying downwards, following in order with the rest of the class. Gia did as well, and going lower did make her feel a little better, until ideas of being unable to stop and flying into a rock filled her thoughts.

Time seemed to drag purposely to torture her, but eventually her flight instructor lead her class under an arch and back inside the canyon's walls. Being inside was much better, even though the floor was still quite far down. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until she felt comfortable enough to breathe again, and was startled to find herself gasping. It's a miracle she didn't pass out yet.

The class turned a corner, and Gia entered the largest room she had ever been in. It was huge. Instructor Cinder gave a screech to signal to land, but it was hard to focus on landing while she was sight seeing. Red banners hung from the walls, and tree tall torches stood parallel to each other from across the gigantic room. Other crowds of owls were already there, perched on different ledges. They were all quiet, and all facing the same direction.

Gia stumbled and fell when her talons touched the floor. Some of her classmates snickered and chuckled, but Cinder quickly snapped at them all to be quiet. Her flight instructor then stomped her left talon twice, and immediately all her students lined up side by side in their correct positions according to how they did in the Final Test Race. Gia knew the command as well, and stood in between two Sooty Owls, one of them being Dusty. She was facing the same direction as everyowl else now, and she saw why...sort of.

Before her was a towering pillar. At the top of the pillar there was two upside down crescents with sharp tips, the smaller one on top of the bigger one. Around the pillar there was a formation of four rocks, two on either side. The rocks were pointy at the tip and curled inward. It was almost like the pillar was held by the claw of an owl. What was most impressive to Gia, though, was the artistically designed circle behind the pillar. Right behind the upside down crescents was a hole in the circle, which brought in the light of the moon perfectly. The red banners and fire added a nice flare to the whole dramatic impression that this place was giving off.

_Who is the designer because this is phenomenal! _Talons down, this room was her favorite in all the Canyon Lands. She couldn't imagine any other part of the canyons that could amaze her more than the sight she was seeing now. Still, she couldn't help but feel confused. As beautiful as the artwork was, what was it used for?

As if to answer her question, a deep shriek filled the area and echoed off the walls. Gia's class jumped, much to Cinder's disapproval, and swiveled their heads around to see what it was. Gia wasn't startled, but she was excited when she saw the familiar blur of white fly by from above.

_Nyra! _The Queen of St. Aggies landed elegantly on one side of the bigger crescent, then turned to face the assembly of owls. Gia didn't think it was possible, but the queen looked even more beautiful with the artistic creations around her.

A sudden wave of fear seemed to come over all the owls around Gia, she could feel it. It confused her. Every one of her classmates shrunk down almost half their size, their feathers sticking close to their figure, which is what birds do when they're scared. She saw that the other groups of owls on the ledges were doing the same. All the anxiety she felt from the other owls around her was starting to give her anxiety. Why was everyowl so jumpy all of a sudden?

Another blur flew by, but this time it was a fiery flash of red. No shriek to warn anyowl this time, but his presence was clear to every being there. He swooped down before gliding up to the smaller crescent, where he landed with his mighty claws. His wing span was ferociously large, spread out on both sides of him before he tucked his wings away, then turned to face the audience.

His face was covered by a mask. A metal mask. It was as dark black as night itself and glittered in the moonlight shining behind him. Gia would know that helmet anywhere. It was the mask of Metal Beak, the High Tyto before this one. But now, this was the new king of St. Aegolius. This was the new Metal Beak.

He was tall and muscular, with claws that looked like they could rip through an owl like paper. Every part that was visible from behind the mask was severely burned, with only patches of singed feathers left. On the right side of his face there were scars going over his eye, from what she could see, like vicious slashes seen through the burns. He was undoubtedly a male Barn Owl, but he was rather large for his species and had many speckles for his gender.

Gia's eyes once again widened, but without her knowing. In fact, she didn't notice anything at all except for the owl that was perched on what she realized was a throne. His throne. Her vision zeroed in on him, everything else fading to black. Once again timed slowed down, but this time it was welcoming. The moonlight seemed to brighten, illuminating his figure. Every movement he made seemed to go in slow motion, like when he blinked, or when the wind tore through the room and blew his blazing russet feathers to the side.

Just yesternight Gia thought that the new king couldn't possibly be a better High Tyto than the legendary Metal Beak, that no owl could. Now she knew for sure, just by looking at him, that he wasn't going to be as good as the king before him. He was going to be even better.

Gia would have melted right then and there if a darkly colored wing didn't smack her in the face. She stood up straight and blinked her eyes, delirious for a second as she broke out of her trace. She looked around, expecting Cinder to be there scolding her, but her flight instructor was still standing at the front of her class, dipping her head deeply. Leaning slightly to get a look to the left, where the majority of her classmates were lined up, she saw that they all had their heads down, too.

Gia was placed second to last in the Final Test Race, even though she won the race, which made her second to last in line on one end of the assembly. The only owl on her right was Dusty, who came in last place because she was deemed the worst in the class. Personally Gia believed that the reason they put her in last place was because she was a Sooty Owl, and that to have Gia, who was a type of Masked Owl, in last place would be shameful for Cinder's reputation.

When she glanced to the right, she was startled to find Dusty looking at her, or more like glaring at her. The small Sooty tilted her head in the king's direction, then nodded her head down. There was a sense of urgency in her eyes, or maybe it was panic.

Gia blinked. _It's like she's trying to tell me something. _She could tell by the rising trepidation she felt coming off of Dusty that she was trying to tell her something important. Gia went through the possible reasons in her head, but nothing came to her. She gave her head a tiny shake, letting the Sooty Owl know that she didn't get it.

Dusty had to hold back a groan of agitation to keep from attracting attention. She looked left, then right, then left again. She place her wing on the back of Gia's neck and shoved her down, forcing Gia to lower her head.

"Bow...down..." For a whisper so quiet it sounded awfully vicious, but Gia got the idea.

Gia bowed down respectfully just as Queen Nyra began to speak.

"All hail Lord Metal Beak, king of St. Aegolius, High Tyto of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones." Nyra stood tall, looking over all the owls before her, making sure that they all were bowing down for their ruler.

Gia made a mental note to thank Dusty later, now knowing how essential it was to show respect. If she was the leader of an organization, she would want her subjects to kneel down as well. To think, she was now considered a subject, a subject of the new Metal Beak! She squealed with glee on the inside.

Nyra, standing on the lower perch on the king's left, looked to him. He straightened his back and nodded to her. Nyra eyes once again went back to the crowd. "Welcome to the Prepping Stage Graduation, where all you young recruits that show us the most promise will be moving onto the next stage of your training, the Soldier Stage. If you complete this stage, you will be one step closer to becoming a true Pure One."

Luckily Gia's head was down, because she had the cheeriest smile on her face. _One step closer to becoming a true Pure One, _Nyra's silky, yet powerful voice repeatedly echoed in her mind. Keeping her head low was beginning to take some massive will power out of her, since she had to keep reminding herself to not look up. So badly she wanted to look back up at the king and queen again. Especially the king.

"For those of you who have failed your previous training, you will be sent back to your original training stage without graduating, with the worst being given the necessary punishment to tutor you in what it truly means to be pure," Nyra continued, taking a second's pause to add a dramatic vibe to the mood in the room, similar to what she did when Gia first saw her at the platform when Max brought her here, "Now, without any more further delay, we shall began the graduation. Fighting Instructor Major, step forward."

Flying down from a high ledge, just as swiftly as when she saw him before, came Major, the one eyed instructor. Behind him came a class of his own, a crowd of about twenty or thirty young owls. Their flying style resembled that of their instructor, making it obvious that they were his class.

Frustratingly, Gia was unable to watch what was going on since she had to stay in a kneeling position. On the bright side, being a kind of Tyto owl, just like everyowl else in the area, made it easy to hear what it was they were doing.

Not once did she hear the High Tyto speak, which disappointed her. She did hear the queen's beautiful voice, though, as she spoke to the instructor. Gia heard them talking about the best students in Major's class, most of the upsides being their strength. Only two owls were a disappointment, and they were sentenced to be the first on the list for punishment, with their disciplining to be decided and carried out by tomorrow. From what she heard, it would be the king himself to decide the punishment.

After the king, who still remained silent, and the queen had finished evaluating Major's class, the next class took its place. Each instructor was skilled in something, whether it was fighting, flying, or something else of that sorts. First the instructors would present their top students and their most impressive traits, then they would give the overall state of their whole class. Finally they would show their worst students.

Only the best of the best and the worst of the worst of the students were called to step forward. The best recruit was assigned to the Advance Program, where the top officials would train them in private sessions, including Queen Nyra and Metal Beak themselves. Meanwhile, the worst recruits were placed on the punishment list and sent back into the Prepping Stage at the bottom of the class.

_I must get into the Advanced Program, I must! _Gia thought to herself. To be trained as one of the best recruits, to be at the top of the class, sounded like a dream. She wanted to become a true Pure One with a background like that, as the student that caught the bird in the Final Test Race, placed into the Advanced Program, then excelled to the top of the class. And to be trained by the new Metal Beak! Oh, the thought of it made her dizzy.

"Flight Instructor Cinder, step forward." Gia blinked out of her daze when she heard her instructor's name. No owl except Cinder moved as she took a couple flaps forward and bowed to her king and queen courteously. She then gestured to her class with a graceful sweep of her wing.

"This class," Cinder began, "Is my life's work and dedication as a loyal instructor to the Pure Ones. It is my duty and pleasure to train these young owls and shape them into fine soldiers, and I believe that this particular class is my best yet."

"Oh?" was all Nyra said. She looked somewhat interested, but not impressed. Nothing seems to impress Nyra, Gia noticed.

"Yes," Cinder replied, "And the star students of my class are the best that I have seen in my years as an instructor. Be assured I would never lie to you, Your Majesties." She bowed again, deeper than before.

"I am assured that you would not lie to us, Instructor. After all, it would be your head," For such threateningly words, the queen did not put a lot of emotion into it. She stated it like it was a fact. Gia wondered if it was a fact.

"Bring forth these 'star students' of yours," The queen ordered, again with little emotion. If anything she sounded like she was waiting for a crash landing clumsy recruit to come stumbling into her view. Gia wondered again about Nyra, and if she got a kick out of proving others wrong. She wouldn't be surprised, or maybe the Alba General was just bored. She was a hard book to read.

"Yes, of course, Her Pureness." Cinder whipped around and rose her right wing. "53-08, 53-09, come," Cinder placed her wing down and stepped back, allowing the two students she called for to stand in her place. They were Fiona and Emmanuel, both siblings keeping their heads bent down respectfully.

Gia had been expecting that. What owl wasn't? Those two were no doubt the best two out of the entire class. She had seen them train up close. Fiona had zoomed past her in a high speed exercise and Emmanuel nearly crushed Gia when they were having a practice in flight fight.

"You have two best students?" Indeed, this time Nyra seemed mildly surprised. Since the Prepping Stage Graduation begun only one out of each class had a top student to present. Even Metal Beak appeared to have gained interest on the topic.

"Oh, yes, Your Highness. These two are remarkably talented. They can fight, they can fly, and they take and carry out commands without question. 53-09 is especially fast, the fastest I've seen in quite awhile, and 53-08 is especially skillful in high fly combat. I couldn't decide which was better, so I give you both. I hope they please you as much as they do me."

Silence followed for a few seconds as the king and queen contemplated the two recruits. The queen seemed to like what she saw. She looked to the High Tyto, who nodded. Nyra then cleared her throat. "They both appear presentable, but which of the two caught the bird?"

It was the one question Cinder hoped they wouldn't ask, but she couldn't deny the inevitable. She tried to set the words right in her mind before she spoke them, as she took a tentative step forward. "Er, yes, well...Actually, neither of them caught the bird in the Final Test Race."

A sudden look of fury overcame Nyra, while the king just looked disappointed, and slightly confused.

"What? You bring me not one, but two of these supposedly 'remarkably talented' students, and yet neither one of these recruits caught the bird of the race?" The Queen's eyes seemed to flicker red, though of course it could have just been the lighting in the room. "You should know well, Instructor, that our tradition states that the student who catches the bird will be moving on to the Advanced Program. Are you trying to slide by us that none of your students were capable of completing the Final Test?"

"Oh, no, Your Highness! That's not the case, I assure you, that it is not! One of my students did indeed catch the bird. Though, she did do it...incorrectly," Cinder said, gesturing nervously with her wings as she spoke.

Emmanuel, still in the proper kneeling position, was glancing at his sister. Uncertainty hovered over the brother, along with worry for their future. His sister, on the other wing, was silently fuming, ignoring her brother's pleading looks. If she didn't make it into the Advanced Program because of a stupid bird, then some owl was going to pay dearly for it, and that owl was going to be the one who ruined her chances in the first place.

Meanwhile, Gia was lost in thought, and was still trying her best not to look up. It was getting harder by the millisecond, with the image of the king sketched in her mind fading. She had to make sure the picture of him she saw in her imagination was accurate to the actual king perched on the throne in front of her.

Back to the conflict going on between the Flight Instructor and the Queen, Nyra said, "What do you mean 'incorrectly'? How can one catch a bird incorrectly?" Nyra was starting to show signs of frustration, her voice growing louder as the conversation went on.

"Well, you see, instead of catching the bird with her speed or strength, she attracted it by...singing." By the way she said the last word quietly, it was clear she dreaded speaking of the forbidden word. It might as well be another word for evil.

"Singing?" The word barely managed to come out of her clenched beak. She was enraged by this. Never in her life had she heard of something so idiotic.

She stood taller and began spreading her wings, ready to fly down and claw the instructor, when the king outstretched a wing in front of her. Halting, she looked at him with irritation. He merely nodded, then turned to face the Sooty Owl. He raised his head, curious about the situation.

"Send these two away. I want to see the owl who caught the bird."

Gia felt like an explosion just went off in her chest. The king had just spoken, and the first words he said was that he wanted to see her! Excitement began bubbling inside her, making it painstakingly hard to hold still while she bowed. His voice was clear and firm, with the hint of youth in it as well. He sounded as though he was younger than he appeared to be, but it was a challenge to tell his age when most of his face was hidden.

"Right away, Your Highness." Cinder said, then immediately shooed her two top students away like pesky insects. This infuriated Fiona, her irritation as clear on her face as Nyra's. Emmanuel, relieved to be out of the firing line for the moment, began pushing his sister back into her place at the very left end of the line before she threw a fit.

Gia waited to be called for, but instead she felt a sharp prick at the back of her neck as Cinder pulled her out of the line using her talon. The flight instructor shoved her forward, but Gia took a couple of flaps and went ahead, not wanting to be prodded. She stood where Fiona was just seconds earlier, and bowed deeply before the king and queen.

Going against her will, she kept her head low. She was crossing her talons that the king or queen would ask her to stand, so she would be able to see the king again. Something even better happened as the sound of flapping came from above. She knew it was the king, she just knew it was him flying, and he was flying down. Down from his throne and to her.

With her head still down, she saw his deadly looking claws as he landed in front of her. He was right there, less than two feet away. She could even hear his breathing, being a Tyto Owl with extreme hearing and all. The amount of excitement fizzling around inside her was causing a wildness to tingle all over her. She just hoped she could keep it contained, and not freak out into the frenzy that she was feeling inside.

"You," he said sternly, making her heart jump up into her throat. "What is your name?"

_He asked me for my name! He wants to know-Oh, wait...He means my number name. Aw, well, close enough. _"53-28." She said simply, worried that if she said anything more she would say something wrong, since it had happened often since she came to the Canyon Lands. She didn't want to make the same mistake again, especially with the king right there.

"Well, 53-28," he began slowly. He started moving, and the sight of his claws left Gia's vision. He walked around her deliberately, and even though she couldn't see him, she could feel his presence with every step he took.

"Did you know that singing is forbidden in St. Aegolius, and that breaking that rule can mean severe punishment, or did that minor fact slip past you?" He had come behind her now as he continued to circle her, his voice calm but fierce in the way he spoke.

Keeping calm was becoming impossible, but with shaky breaths she replied, "I did not know that singing was forbidden. No rules were given before the race started."

"Maybe it was because your instructor expected you to know the basic goal. That you were supposed to catch the bird with your strength, speed, and agility. So why didn't you? Was it because you were the weakest in the class? Were you that desperate?" The way he asked the questions made it sound like a direct insult to her. She didn't feel insulted, though. She kind of felt confused. Maybe it was because she was having trouble thinking straight with the High Tyto actually speaking to her.

"Maybe I was desperate, and, yeah, maybe I am the weakest in the class, but that wasn't what I was thinking when I sang to the Bluebird." Gia said, wondering why it was such a bad thing that she sang a simple song to a bird. She understood that catching the bird that way was wrong, but why was singing forbidden?

"Then what were you thinking when you were singing?" He had completely circled around, and once again stood in front of her. After looking her over, he noticed how shaky and tense she was as she kept her head down. He confirmed that she was afraid, dearly afraid, like she should be. This pleased him, so perhaps he would let her go by with a mild punishment, if she showed enough submission.

"I was thinking of catching the bird, of winning, and seeing you, the High Tyto." She said.

The king blinked. That was an odd thing for her to say. Why would a recruit want to see him? All recruits were terrified of him, along with many other owls. He shook his head lightly, staring down at her with a hard look even though her head was down.

"Well, I'm sure that you know you will be punished. I shall decide on how your punishment will be executed tomorrow. As for now, you did catch the bird in the race, and therefor you did win. According to our traditions, the winner of the race would move on to the Soldier Stage, and so you will be, but not the Advanced Program. 53-08 and 53-09 will move onto the Advanced Program, while the rest of your class will go to the Soldier Stage."

"What?" Nyra said, her feathers puffing up.

Cinder's beak fell open. Two of her students would be moved to the Advanced Program, and not only that, her entire class would graduate. Cinder couldn't remember the last time an entire class moved onto the Soldier Stage without at least one of the students being sent back, or if that had ever even happened.

Fiona covered her beak with her wing, forgetting her bowing position. Emmanuel actually had a smile on his face, albeit a devious one. He shook his sister by her shoulders playfully, but she smacked his head and reminded him to keep his head down.

The audience didn't gasp, but the expressions on their faces made it seem like they all did. They were astounded that their king had done such a thing. Not one owl spoke, as it would be against the rules when the rulers were speaking, but no doubt many mixed feeling thoughts were flying through all of their heads.

Major in particular had a feeling that Cinder would be rubbing it in his face later.

"This Graduation is dismissed. Take the graduating recruits to their new Dorms." Nyra spoke to every owl, then lifted her wings and flew off the way she came. Quickly other classes followed, some hesitating while others rushed away from the drama as if it never happened.

Cinder turned to her class, still in dismay of what had just happened to her profile, but she had a job to do. She turned to her class and gave a light flap, which was the signal to take flight. She rose above them and flew down yet another different pathway, which assumably lead to the new Dorms, with her class in tow.

The High Tyto watched the classes of owls leave, then went back to the one kneeling in front of him. "I don't expect this problem to happen again. No more singing, understood?"

Instantaneously, the small, golden feathered owl lifted her head up, like she had been waiting to. The king's gizzard turned to stone at the sight of the outsized smile on her face. Her eyes were brimful with enthusiasm, blinking up at him in delight. He was getting an uneasy stalker vibe off of this bird.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Anything for His Pureness." Her voice was as shaky as before, but now he realized it was because she was excited, not fearful.

A sensation of creepiness went up the king's spine, and he hastily flapped his wing in front of her face, startling her, in a way to send her off. "You are dismissed."

As his wing swept forward, the very tip at the end of one flight feather barely grazed any feathers on her head, but one feather came into contact. The instant one of his feathers touched one of hers, a sudden shock shot through both of them. It was like an electric current rushed throughout their bodies, the shock beginning at the head for Gia, while for the king it began at the tip of the wing he swept.

It seemed to be over the moment in time it began, as if it had never happened. Gia was confused, not really sure what to think or say about it or anything else. The High Tyto, on the other wing, had been officially freaked out and wanted to be as far away from her as he could distanced himself. So without another word, he was flying off like a bat straight out of hagsmire.

Gia watched, her eyes glossy with her nightdreams, as he fleetly flew away. She, some Third Class Masked Owl from an abandoned part of humble Silverveil, who had less than a week ago had never flown and had never met any other owl besides her aunt, just had the honor of speaking to the king of the Pure Ones.

A dream she never knew she had just came true, she realized. She breathed contently, swaying back and forth on her heels. She could still feel the buzz from whatever that electric like current was that went through her. She couldn't tell if it had really happened or not, but whether it was real or imaginary, it was pleasant.

She almost didn't believe this was all real. She had been taken to Canyon Lands, trained as a Pure One in training, flown in the air, graduated to the next level up, met the queen and, even better, the king of St. Aegolius. Last week she wouldn't have dreamed about any of that happening. Her whole life had been changed forever, and she was never going back to her lonely life in Silverveil. Never.

She did miss her Auntie, though. Of course she would meet up with her one night. Leaving her home was one thing, abandoning her aunt was another. At least, that's what she hoped. She wondered what Aunt Angela would think of everything that had happened to her these past few days. She probably wouldn't have been happy about it if she'd known that her niece was taken to the Canyon Lands via snatcher.

"Hey, you," a voice said from behind her.

Gia blinked back into the real world. Turning around, she saw her classmate, Dusty, perched a few dozen feet or so away on a rock. Her eyes were narrowed, and she had a scowl on her face. Not like that was surprising, she usual did.

"Greetings," Gia said, smiling.

"I was sent back to come fetch you, since you apparently got glued to that spot," Dusty said, not sounding pleasant at all.

"Oh, yeah. I, um...got sidetracked. Thanks for coming to pick me up."

Gia hopped over to her Sooty Owl classmate and smiled at her, but Dusty turned away. She took flight and flew down the pathway Cinder had taken, not bothering to look behind her to see if Gia was following. Gia did follow, of course. As much as she didn't want to leave this place, she didn't want to risk getting a scolding from Cinder.

She flew up next to Dusty, which seemed to bother her by the way she jerked her head in the other direction. Gia decided to leave her be, and went back to her nightdreaming. She sighed with a smile on her beak and mist in her eyes.

Over and over again she relived the moment when she had first seen the new Metal Beak, and then the precious moments after to when he flew off without looking back. She had to keep the image of him alive in her mind until she could find a way to put it on paper. She would sketch a picture of him on a rock if she had to. Who knows when she would see the king again.

"Big rock, twelve o'clock." Dusty's snappy voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh?" Gia blinked a couple of times, then saw a giant boulder getting bigger as she flew right towards it. She gasped and back flapped, but she still rammed into it. Luckily it didn't hurt as much as it could have.

Dusty hovered nearby, waiting for her slow classmate to catch up. Since Gia hadn't followed the rest of the class when they left, like she was supposed to, Dusty was sent back to retrieve the wandering student.

Dusty had expected that to happen. She was the lowest ranking student in her class, so she was the first choice to be sent on a chore that no owl else wanted. What she didn't expect was to be moving onto the Soldier Stage. Usually the lowest ranking student didn't move onto the Soldier Stage. It baffled her, but she was sure she would still receive a punishment for being the lowest rank.

Head cocked in disturbed wonder, Dusty watched as the small golden feathered owl flew up beside her after crashing into a rock, smiling of all things. Dusty continued to lead her annoying classmate down the corridor, hoping to make this task quick.

"Thanks again," Gia said, fluffing her feathers in flight, "Gee whiz, that could have been nasty! Flying fast face first into a rock, what a story that would have been. Am I right?"

Dusty half glanced at her. "You're so weird," she said, hoping that insult would smash that smile.

Instead, much to Dusty's dismay, the young owl giggled. "Thank you. I don't mean to brag, but I am kind of an original."

"That wasn't a compliment." Dusty growled under her breath. She took another glance at the owl.

"That wasn't?"

The Masked Owl sounded sincere, but she couldn't be. This bird had to be messing with her.

"No, it wasn't." Dusty flapped harder and flew ahead a couple of feet.

"Oh," Gia said. She flew flapped her wings harder as well and came up next to her classmate again. "Well, I took it as one."

Dusty whipped around and glared at her. She was enraged that this golden owl had the audacity to keep smiling. "Would you stop that?" she spat.

"Stop what?" Gia asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Stop acting like that!"

"Like what?"

Dusty balled up her fist, wanting so badly to punch that owl. Instead she slammed her beak and growled, if not, scream with her beak shut. She heaved angry breathes, flapping her wings harder than necessary, like stomping away but in the air.

Gia told herself that this owl needed her space, that she should be quiet. She lasted a full ten seconds before she spoke, "Are you okay?"

Dusty growled at her, then came in for a rough landing in front of a tall stony arch. Gia landed behind her, her eyes scrolling over the entrance to what must have been her new Dormitory. She wasn't close enough to see what was going on inside, but she could hear noises. It didn't sound like a party, more like the sound of their wing beats, heart beats, some low talking, and a lot of orders being thrown here and there.

Dusty turned and looked Gia straight in the eye, staring at her angrily. "Why are you always so happy? Do you not realize where you are, that you're trapped behind the walls of St. Aegolius? What is wrong with you?" She kept her voice low, but her volume did rise with each question.

Gia stared back at the Sooty Owl, but she wasn't thinking about the questions she asked. While Dusty wondered why she was so happy, Gia couldn't understand why she was so huffy. Every time she saw her Dusty had a sour look on her face, walking around with a chip on her shoulder. She acted like she didn't care about anything.

Gia remembered when Dusty had slapped her face back at the Prepping Stage Graduation, when she had been so stunned by the High Tyto's appearance that she had forgotten to bow. She knew that Dusty cares, or else she would have left Gia to receive a beating for forgetfulness. What Dusty cares about exactly, she wasn't sure, but she knew that she did care.

None of the owls did treat Dusty very nicely. Most of that was due to her being a Sooty Owl, which placed her at the bottom of the class. There were other Sooty Owls in their class, but Dusty was the slowest flier and the smallest out of all of them, making her even less of a favorite.

Even her name, Dusty, sounded sad. How had she gotten the name Dusty? What self-respecting parent would name their child Dusty? That's when Gia recalled that all the students in her class had been taken away from their homes when they were brought here. She herself missed her aunt, so it only made sense that Dusty would miss her family, too.

Dusty also didn't have any friends. Gia knew that, it wasn't hard to tell. She was by herself, like Gia was, but unlike Gia she was unhappy. It was in that instant that she decided she would become Dusty's friend, whether she liked it or not.

"Hello?" Dusty snapped her talons in front of the Masked Owl's face. She seemed to have blanked out from the world, going into some still standing trance. It was even creepier because she kept staring at her, barely blinking, as she went into this trance.

It took several snaps before Gia blinked and remembered Dusty standing there, waiting for an answer. Her smiled returned, and she chuckled. "Because I'm happy."

Dusty didn't say anything. She didn't move, either, so Gia flew a few flaps past her, then quickly turned around and waved at her. "Come on! Let's go check this place out."

* * *

**And here it is, Chapter 4! Yeah! I had so much fun writing this chapter. I've already started writing the next chapter, and I'm having just as much fun writing it as I did writing this one, if not even more. I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. **

**However, I do own this story, and you are not allowed to use it in any way. **

**Y'all have a great day! **

**-GG**


	5. Because I'm Happy

Gia stood outside the entrance to her new Dormitory. She guessed that when an owl graduated to the next level of their training they were taken to a new place to stay. She remembered Emmanuel saying something about this place being comfier. She hoped that was true; her muscles had been aching from sleeping on the cold ground of her Prepping Stage Dormitory.

She waited for Dusty, who landed nearby after a moment's hesitation. Her head was rudely turned the other way, refusing to look at her. Gia didn't mind, and waited for Dusty to start walking first so she could follow next to her.

The young Sooty gave an irritable sigh, and trudged forward, Gia hopping beside her. They went under the tall, stony arch and entered a large area. It was similar to the Dormitory they had been staying at, only this one was much bigger. Instead of small holes in the walls this place had small caves, some near the ground and some two or three stories high. Most of the caves in the walls surrounding the circular area had good sized ledges that kind of reminded Gia of small patios or balconies.

Gia liked this place already.

"Whoa..." she said, turning in a full circle to take it all in while still walking next to Dusty, "What is this place?"

"You don't ask questions around here, remember?" Dusty snapped.

A scree let loose nearby, echoing around the place. The scree got louder as its owner came closer, and soon a mad looking Sooty Owl landed in front of the two trainees. Instructor Cinder. Gia and Dusty both bowed down before her, but their flight instructor quickly told them to get up. She then pointed a talon at Gia, which almost appeared to be a death threat.

"Where were you?" She shrieked, her feathers already puffed up.

"At the Prepping Stage Graduation," Gia answered, leaning away from her instructor's menacing talon.

"Did you not see me give the follow signal? Did you not notice the entire class leaving the Throne Room?" Her voice was rising, catching the attention of nearby owls in the area.

"The king wanted to say a few things to me." she said simply.

Dusty gave her an odd look, wondering what on Earth the mighty king of St. Aegolius would want to say to a pest like her. _Perhaps he told her to stay away, __s_he thought. Then she remembered how Gia had been gawking at him when he entered the room, completely forgetting to bow. This owl was creepy. If she had been the king, she would have told her to stay away, too. She wished the creepy owl would stay away from her now.

Instructor Cinder stepped back, outraged. The king wanted to speak with her, and Cinder couldn't say anything about that. She hated when she couldn't say anything, or punish anyowl for causing her this frustration. It made her want to come up to some random owl and demote him. Of course, she was rather low in ranking herself, so she couldn't actually demote anyowl. This frustrated her some more.

Gia watched as her instructor flew off without saying anything more, which was probably a good thing, since her face was all pinched up like she had bit into a lemon.

Dusty groaned again. "Since you missed the introduction, and seeing that our instructor isn't going to give you one, I'm going to go out on a limb and figure she wants me to give you the introduction instead," she said the last few words slowly, like the very meaning of each word tortured her.

This excited Gia. "Okay!" She hopped up right by Dusty's side. "I'm listening."

"You better, 'cause I ain't repeating it." she slid a foot away from her, then started walking across the area.

Gesturing around with her wing, she began. "This is our new Dormitory, meant strictly for Soldier Stage students. We're the only class in which every student passed, which doesn't make any sense what so ever but here we are. There are many Dormitories for different staged owls, from the Nursery Stage to the Soldier Stage. After this stage you will get your own room all to yourself to keep unless moved for some rational reason or promoted. Several owls will...Are you listening!?"

Gia jumped out of her nightdream. She hadn't meant to do that, but images of the High Tyto had infiltrated her mind and she couldn't get them out, not that she wanted to. She gave a cheesy smile at Dusty and nodded her head.

"Go on," she said gently.

Dusty's feathers puffed up a bit, but with a hint of a growl she continued, "Lucky for you, you came in as a nearly full grown owl, so you were placed in the last stage of the Prepping Stage, right before graduating to the Soldier Stage. Now, as I was saying, several owls-"

"What stage did you come here in?" Gia asked, feeling bad for interrupting but too curious to hold the question off.

Dusty snorted, and flapped her wings to let off steam. "Don't you pay attention? Questions are forbidden, and that's none of your business!"

Gia shrunk back a bit. "So, does that mean you're not going to tell me?"

Dusty wingpalmed, letting her wing slide down her face before sighing. "I grew up here for almost all my life. I came here as a hatchling, so I was placed in the Nursery Stage."

"Oh," Gia felt guilty, horribly guilty for asking what she didn't realize must have been a personal question. "I'm...really sorry."

"Like I said before, I don't need your pity. Now, where was I?" she said, and Gia guessed it was best to let the topic drop.

"You were at the part where you were saying 'several owls'," she said. Dusty looked at her curiously, and Gia smiled, "See? I told you I was listening."

Dusty waved her off with a wing. "Yeah. So, anyway, several owls will stay together as roommates in a Dorm. This Dormitory is labeled "Soldier Stage" and each Dorm in here will be numbered. There have been owls here training for up to a year, and others that have been here for less than five minutes, like us. If you don't pick a Dorm soon, you'll be thrown into one, and,"she chuckled darkly, "believe me, you don't want that."

"Which Dorm is yours?" Gia asked.

"I haven't picked one yet. Kind of got delayed by having to fly all the way back to the Throne Room to fetch an owl, if you know what I mean," Dusty said, then blinked and gave Gia a serious look, "Even if I did have a Dorm now, you wouldn't be able to join me."

This upset Gia, who was hoping she and Dusty could be roommates. What better way to make a friend? "What? Why not?"

"How many questions are you going to ask? If I was Cinder right now, you'd be thrown in the dungeon!" She opened her wings to make a point how big a deal that was.

Gia gasped. "This place has a dungeon?" It made sense, she supposed, but she was still taken aback.

"You just asked another question!" She snatched Gia's shoulder and pulled her in close, then whispered in her ear. "If you're going to be stupid enough to ask something, keep your squeaky voice down, or someowl's going to end up reporting you to the authorities!" With that, she shoved her back up.

"Who's the authorities?" Gia said quietly, lowering her head a bit like it would help keep her voice low.

"Oh...my Glaux, make it stop!" Dusty threw her head back and moaned.

"I still don't see why we can't have a Dorm together," Gia said, then a thought came to her mind. She looked over at Dusty sadly. "Do you not want me to share a Dorm with you?"

"You kidding? I'd rather share a room with Fiona and her brute of a brother, but I can't do that, either. It's not a rule, really, it's just a way of life. Barn Owls stay with Barn Owls, Sooties stay with us Sooties." She waved a wing at Gia. "Same goes with you. Whatever kind of Masked Owl you are, go find some other Third Class Masked Owls to hang out with."

Gia looked at her talons. She wasn't going to cry, she told herself, but the pain she felt in her chest burned a hole through her heart. She didn't want to stay with Third Class Masked Owls like Flapper and Crazy, even though she was sure they'd be fun. She wanted to be with Dusty.

Dusty watched with confusion as the strange Masked Owl lowered her head like she had been scolded. There was no reason why she should be weepy. Sharing a Dorm with a Sooty is a constant reminder of how low in ranking one is. This owl had no common sense, but she was acting so pitiful, it was hard to look at.

Gia took a deep breath and straightened her back. She had to remember to be strong, like a Pure One. "So, I guess you'll be staying with the other Sooties, then?" she said, trying to sound casual about it.

Dusty shook her head. "I'm the lowest ranking Sooty in my class. I seriously doubt anyowl would want to share a Dorm with me. I'll probably get some cold, dirty, rarely used Dorm all to myself. Same goes for you, Miss Bird Whisperer."

"Hold on," The 'Bird Whisperer' said, "You said that there isn't any rule against different species Tytos sharing a Dorm together, right?"

"Yeah..." Dusty said, cocking her head suspiciously. Gia had a weird look in her eyes, like some sort of sparkle that indicated a bad idea.

"And you also said you don't think anyowl would invite us to share a Dorm with them, right?"

"So...?"

A big grin spread across Gia's face. She started hopping up and down, which Dusty was starting to realize she did often. "So what's holding us back?"

She snatched Dusty's talon, horribly startling the Sooty Owl. Dusty looked between Gia and the claw that held an unyielding grip on her wrist. For such a tiny Tyto, she had a surprisingly hard grip.

"Come on!" Gia said, looking upwards at one of the caves closer to the ground, "That one looks nice. No owl's holding us back, let's go!"

"Wait, what? No-" Dusty didn't get to finish. Gia lifted up into the air, dragging Dusty with her.

Dusty tried back flapping, but the crazy owl wouldn't let go of her wrist. Gia kept on flying like she didn't notice, and for all Dusty knew maybe she didn't. She pulled and tugged and did everything she could to get away without clawing at her. She didn't know why she didn't claw at her, since it would make her struggle much easier.

Dusty gave up and glared at the Masked Owl who forced her here when they landed on the balcony of Dorm Room 5. Out of all 50 or so Dorms, she had to choose number 5, the fifth closest one to the entrance. Most of the 'star' students stayed near the entrance. She should be at the very back of the Dormitory, in the shadows as shadowy owls like her should be. But no...she had to get herself dragged here by a lunatic.

"Hello?" Gia said, as she poked her head inside.

It was empty, with not a sign of a feather anywhere. It was pretty roomy, not the best Dorm but also much better than most. It had lots of ledges for separate sleeping nests and enough space in the middle for four or more owls to gather. The balcony was favorable as well, with a nice flat surface that didn't tilt so it was easy to stand on.

"This is neat." Gia said, pulling Dusty along inside.

As much as Dusty hated this situation, she had to admit the Dorm was inviting. "Tell you the truth, I'm surprised no owl else has picked this place already. You sure it's not taken?" she said, glancing around.

"Probably not. I think it's haunted." Gia said, considering the place.

"What?"

"Oh! Can I have that ledge?" She flew over to a corner where the ground dipped low under an overhanging ledge. She could imagine herself getting all snuggled up in there, and placing things, if she ever got anything, on the ledge above her.

Dusty shook her head. She would never understand this owl. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

_Haunted, _Dusty thought, _Yeah, right. _She didn't believe in scrooms, which were owl ghosts. Of course the crazy Masked Owl would, though. She suspected that she thought unicorns and flamingos were real, too.

Gia stood up straight, forgetting her ideas of tidying up her new place for the moment. She heard something. There were noises in the Dormitory as the newly graduated owls tried to settle in, but all of them kept their voices low, as was the rules. She didn't even have to cock her head to hear this voice clearly, though, because it was so loud.

"You need to find a Dorm this instant, or I'll be sure to file a complaint and that'll be sure to send you right back to Prepping Stage!" Cinder. It was definitely Cinder.

Ignoring Dusty's "Hey, where are you going?", Gia flew right past her and out of the Dorm Room. Landing on the edge of her balcony, she leaned over and saw her flight instructor right below her. She was flapping her wings and lashing out at a young Barn Owl.

Gia squinted. The Barn Owl was tall, even if she was shrinking back and had her head lowered. She was lean, which rung a bell.

"What are you doing?" Dusty said as she came up behind her. Gia put a talon to her beak slowly to shush her, not taking her eyes off the sight. Dusty leaned over with her, but Gia could tell that she wasn't really interested in whatever was going on down there. Gia cocked her head to listen better, even though it wasn't necessary with Cinder yelling.

"Pick a Room already! It's not that hard, just pick one!" The flight instructor rose her wing, and the Barn Owl squeaked and flinched back.

It was that small squeak that gave the big reveal to who this owl was. Gia knew her, she had met her when she herself was being carried to St. Aegolius. She was the owlet that was snatched by Jatt, the same owl who had snatched Kludd in her book Legend of the Guardians. She was the owl that had tried to hang onto the young owlet with the stick on Gia's first night here. Isabelle was her name, she remembered.

She didn't need to think about it, and she didn't, as she flew straight down and landed right in between Cinder and Isabelle, catching Cinder's swinging wing with her own. This startled both the instructor and the Barn Owl, as well as Dusty watching from the ledge above them.

"There you are!" Gia said as she turned to Isabelle, quickly letting go of Cinder's wing before her instructor decided to hit her instead.

She gave a relieved smile and came close to Isabelle as if they were close friends. "We've been searching for you everywhere! Where on Earth have you been? I told you, meet us at Dorm 5, remember?"

"Excuse me?" Cinder said, appearing ticked that she had stopped her from hitting Isabelle.

Gia bowed down to Cinder. "I am so sorry, Flight Instructor Cinder, but it seems that..." Gia tried to remember Isabelle's number name. 53-something. "that...that this owl here has forgotten which Dorm to meet us in. You see, we have already decided to take that Dorm Room, the one right above you."

Cinder flipped her head back. Their ledge was the first one above them. Dusty ducked out of sight quickly, hiding back on the ledge where the owls below wouldn't be able to see her. Cinder still caught sight of the feathers of a Sooty Owl, and scrunched up her face in confusion. She hated being confused, but this didn't make any sense.

"Come, come, now. We've gotta get that Dorm Room cleaned up." Gia grabbed Isabelle's wrist with the same grip she had on Dusty, then pulled the frightened owl into flight with her.

Cinder watched them go, not knowing what to say about the situation. A Masked Owl, a Barn Owl, and a Sooty Owl together in the same Dorm Room? That wasn't right, but it wasn't a rule, either, so she couldn't punish them for that. That made her angry.

She sucked in a breath. The only reason she could come up with is that they must all be Third-Class students, but even Third-Class owls stayed with their own species. She's never seen a mixed Tyto Dorm Room before. Hopefully it wasn't that odd, since these were her students. It would look bad on her report for the class.

Dusty watched, holding her breath, as Cinder flew away. She gave Gia a look, a "What are you doing?" look that came with a glare. Gia flew right by her, not noticing, as she dragged Isabelle inside Dorm 5.

Isabelle was still wilfing, which is the Hoolian word **(Hoolian is one of the owl languages) **for when a bird stands tall and their feathers stick close to their body, which is what they do when they become scared. She looked around nervously. She didn't know how she ended up in here. One moment she was wandering around the Dormitory, the next she was being yelled at by her instructor, and finally she was taken to this place by that odd little Masked Owl.

"Welcome," Gia said, curtsying like she was a hostess, "to Dorm Room 5 of the Soldier Stage Dormitory! My name is Gia Bismarck, Golden Masked Owl, Third-Class."

Dusty flew up next to her and coughed to catch her attention. She leaned in and whispered with an attitude, "Number name, you nut. Your old name is forbidden."

"Oh, yeah," Gia said, and smiled back at Isabelle, "If you prefer number names, my number is 53-28." She tapped Dusty with her wing tip. "And this is Dusty."

"53-05" she corrected, refusing to look at anyowl.

"What's your name?" Gia said. She already knew the Barn Owl's name, but she wanted to be polite. Good first impressions were important.

"Um...I'm..." Isabelle took a step back, then muttered something that sounded a little like her name.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Gia could barely hear her, the poor dear was so quiet.

"I'm...I'm..." She took another step back and half hid behind her wing. Again she muttered something that resembled her name.

"One more time, a little itty bitty bit louder."

She had stopped muttering and now sounded more like she squeaking, hiding her whole face behind her wing.

"Oh, for Glaux's sake, speak up!" Dusty shouted, startling Gia, and obviously the Barn Owl, as she flew up to her.

"Isabelle!" she squealed, wilfing again.

Gia rushed over and shooed Dusty away like a mother would to a child. "Stop it, Dusty! Can't you see you're scaring the poor thing?"

Gia took Isabelle's wing in both her own. She thought happy thoughts, which was easy when she was looking at her new roommate. Sunshine, moonlight, stars, and rainbows were what she thought, and a friendly smile came to her face. "What about your number name? It might be good for us to know your number name if we're ever in front of what Dusty calls 'the authorities'. I don't know who the authorities are, but they sound important."

Dusty rolled her eyes.

"Um...They call me...53-24," she said quietly.

"So what would you like us to call you personally? Do you prefer Issy, or Belle? 53? 24?" Gia said, right before an idea randomly came to her mind. She gasped with delight and started hopping up and down. "Sugar Cube! I'll call you Sugar Cube!"

"Um..." Isabelle glanced over at Dusty, who shrugged. "...Okay?"

"Brilliant!" Gia clapped her wings together.

Dusty backed up into the shadows of the Dorm, and Isabelle hid behind Gia, who blinked. Puzzled, she looked at the two owls curiously. Everything seemed to have gone quiet all of a sudden. Footsteps echoed eerily in Dorm Room 5. At first Gia suspected that it was the scroom she knew that lived in the cave, but when she spun her head around, she saw a live owl entering.

"Greetings," Gia said to the stranger.

The owl who walked in might had not been a complete stranger to Gia, but she didn't know her name, or even her number name. She was tall and toned, with a calm and collected look on her face. Gia couldn't help but be reminded of the High Tyto when she saw the owl's red feathers. Only that, unlike the High Tyto's feathers, hers had an orange shade to it, similar to rusty copper.

The owl took a moment to look the three of them over before answering, "Greetings." When she was done scanning them, she started examining the cave. "Do excuse me for entering without permission. I was...curious."

"About?" Dusty asked suspiciously.

"About you," she answered, then turned to Gia and Isabelle, "and those two."

Gia bounced over to the red owl. After coming closer, she could tell that she was a kind of Masked Owl, like her. She also looked familiar. It took a few seconds, but then she remembered that this was the owl that had almost won the Final Test Race. Until...Gia had sang to the bird and ruined her victory, that is.

She didn't want to get on the bad side of this owl. She didn't want to get on the bad side of any owl, especially an owl as strong as she appeared to be. Taking the red Masked Owl's talon and shaking it, she flashed her best smile and introduced herself.

"I'm Gia Bismarck, a Third Class Golden Masked Owl."

The red owl narrowed her eyes. Not in a threatening way, but more in befuddlement. "I do believe you mean 53-28, the Third Class Golden Masked Owl."

"That too," Gia gestured to the other owls,"and these are my roommates. Meet Dusty, a Third Class Sooty Owl, and Isabelle, who's a Barn Owl. I don't know what class she's in, though-"

"She's also in Third Class," the red owl stated,"and her name is 53-24. The Lesser Sooty is 53-05."

From under her feathers, Dusty was turning visibly red. Red in fury. She hated being reminded that she was a Lesser Sooty, which was considered even less pure than a Greater Sooty. It was becoming clear that she didn't trust this red owl, since she was glaring at her. Isabelle took a couple of steps away from Dusty, noticing how intense she was becoming.

"Well, someowl's awfully observant," Gia said, smiling,"So, care to tell us your name?"

"53-17, First Class Red Masked Owl." she answered on the dot, almost as if it were an instinct.

This seemed to anger Dusty even more. "She meant your actual name. We don't take number names in this Dorm Room." She stepped closer to 53-17. Gia looked in between the two tense owls nervously.

"Whatever our 'actual' names were, they are not allowed here. We go by number names only in St. Aegolius," the red owl said in a flat tone.

"Then get out." Dusty puffed up to twice her size, but 53-17 still stood much taller than her. Even so, Dusty was not unnerved as she pointed to the entrance, staring the red owl right in the eyes.

Silence followed, with no owl daring to make a move. Gia didn't know what to do as she watched Dusty and 53-17 have what appeared to be a stand-off. She had a feeling that she shouldn't interrupt, but she didn't want anything bad to happen.

Gia was confused. Not long ago Dusty had been pretty stubborn on reminding her about addressing one another by their numbers names. Why was she so willing to go by their real names all of a sudden, to the point of picking a fight with an owl as big and brawny as the Red Owl before her? She would have expected the two to get along, since they both seemed to prefer following the rules.

Neither owl broke eye contact until the red owl spoke, "Josephina." With her head held up high, she walked past Dusty and went deeper into cave. She stopped a few feet away, and turned her head to the side, even though she wasn't facing anyowl. "Call me Jo."

She didn't say anything else. Instead, she spread out her wings and flew up to the highest ledge.

* * *

Two hours had passed, and although there weren't any windows in the new Dormitory, similar to the old one, Gia had a sense that it was nearing sun rise. She wasn't tired yet, but there was nothing to do. None of her roommates had uttered a word since the squabble between Dusty and Josephina. They haven't moved from their chosen nests, either.

Jo was resting with her eyes open on her ledge, ignoring everyowl. Dusty pointlessly rearranged her nest countless times over, glaring at Jo when she wasn't looking, but most of the time she was keeping her back to her. Isabelle sat in her nest, not knowing what else to do.

It was odd, when Gia thought about it. She had no clue to why Jo had decided to live in their Dorm. After all, everyowl here but her was of Third Class, and each one of them was a different kind of Tyto. From what Gia had learned, different kinds of Tytos in the Pure Ones usual don't get along, especially when they're in different rankings. Jo could have easily gotten into a First Class Masked Owl only Dorm.

Another thing that confused Gia was how quickly Dusty had decided to go by their true names. Dusty was stubborn to her ways, there was no lie about that, and yet she got into quite the fight with Jo about it. If only she could read their minds and find out why. That would be cool, to be a mind reader, or they could just go the easy way and tell her. Of course, from what it seemed, no owl was going to be talking anytime soon.

Gia had never been a fan of quietness, but the soundless environment she was in now was maddening. The area seemed to be weighed down by an invisible pressure that strengthened by the second, like someowl was pumping the room full of smoke. To the other owls it was boring, but to Gia it was unbearable. Two hours was long enough.

Getting out from under her little ledge, Gia walked to the center of the Dorm. She lifted her head up to make sure that when she spoke, everyowl heard her.

"Hey!" she sounded a lot snappier than she had intended to, but the sudden noise did catch all of their attentions effectively, "What are you guys doing? Tonight was our Graduation Night! We passed the test, we're in the Soldier Stage, shouldn't you guys be happy? It's not like we're training right now, we should celebrate!"

Jo shook her head from side to side, reminding herself how little 53-28 knew. "Celebrating is nothing more than an excuse to be lazy and unproductive." She went back to laying down in her nest, abandoning Gia's attempt to start a conversation.

"Aw, come on. Aren't you at least a little excited?" Gia said.

Dusty sighed. "Gilda, look. We're with the Pure Ones, and Pure Ones don't celebrate or do any of the weird things that you like to do. The sooner you get that through your head, the easier your life will be. Not by much, though," she muttered the last part.

"Actually, it's Gia," she corrected, "Gia Bismarck. 53-28, Third Class Golden Masked Owl. Take your pick, I'm all about nicknames." She smiled, trying to lift the mood in the room. Maybe the scroom that lived in their Dorm could help her out.

Dusty made a noise that sounded between a mocking chuckle and a snort, "It's clear that you're new here."

Heaving a breath of disappointment, Gia tried to stay positive. She told herself to think happy thoughts. Fluffy, soft, warm, cute thoughts made her happy...like bunnies. Bunnies were delicious! Especially when her Auntie made them.

Then again, those thoughts were also making her hungry. Those thoughts did bring a smile to her face, though, and a rumble to her belly, but that was besides the point. She had to figure out a way to cheer up her friends. A reason for them to smile like she was. Surely there had to be someway to make them happy.

While Gia was busy in her thoughts, she was unaware that a feud had broken out between two of her roommates, and Glaux knows Isabelle wasn't one of them. She blinked back into reality, and was startled by the argument that was going on without her knowing.

"53-24 is new here as well, and she isn't acting like that," Jo said. In her voice one could hear her aggression. If words could kill, no doubt Jo would have already murdered many owls. Now that was not a positive thought, if anything it was rather scary, and disturbing, so Gia pretended she had never thought of that.

This irritated Dusty beyond rational reason. "Her name is Isabelle," she said as she watched Jo closely, daring her to retaliate.

_Oh, dear..._Gia thought. This was going nowhere fast. Here she tried to help her roommates get along, and she only made it worst. She hadn't known Dusty and Jo for long, but she knew that neither of them were going to be one to back down. Isabelle crept over beside her, in case a fight broke out between the two she-owls.

"No owl is really very happy, but thanks for trying," Isabelle whispered, half hiding behind her.

The words she spoke and the way she said them should have discouraged her, but instead it did the very opposite. For some reason those words that her timid roommate said replayed itself in her mind, like the meaning behind what she said was trying to tell her something.

Again Gia became lost in her own thoughts, blocking out everything around her, including the insulting words that the two fighting recruits were flinging at each other. Any moment and one of the she-owls would be pushed to her limits, and all hagsmire would break lose in what was suppose to be their sweet and homey Dorm Room.

One more time Isabelle's words went through her head. It was as if those words had burned into a fire, and that fire became an idea that lit her imagination ablaze.

_Happy...Happy...That's it! _Gia grabbed Isabelle by the shoulders and gave her an excited shake. "Sugar Cube, you're a genius!"

Isabelle stumbled back, startled by her joyous roommate. She watched as the odd Golden Masked Owl walked to the center of the Dorm, a skip in her step and a smile on her face.

Gia tapped her foot until the beat felt just right. She waited for the feeling to spread up from her feet and into her body, tickling her under her feathers. When she felt it, the feeling of craving movement, she jumped ahead on the same foot four times, then stomped that same foot down in a quirky dance.

_It might seem crazy what I'm about to say_

With that single sentence verse, the tension in the room seemed to have evaporated. Now it was replaced with sheer shock.

_Sunshine she's here, you can take a break_

Gia saw the two previously bickering roommates fall into a startled silence. She watched Dusty whip her head around, and by the way she looked, panic was welling up inside her. The Sooty Owl had such a petrified expression one would have thought she had seen the scroom that lived here. It was really quite amusing, so Gia continued.

_I'm a hot aired loon, I could fly to space_

While Dusty was pulling at her feathers in terror, Jo hadn't moved. She was still staring at the floor, hoping that what she thought she heard wasn't what she was hearing.

_With the air, like I don't care, baby by the way_

Isabelle was pressed up against the wall. To be honest, she didn't know what it was that Gia was doing wrong, but she wasn't going to be one to risk the chance of getting caught doing it.

Meanwhile, Gia was having a blast.

_Because I'm happy_

_Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof_

_Because I'm happy_

_Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth_

_Because I'm happy _

_Clap along if you know what happiness is to you_

_Because I'm happy_

_Clap along if you feel like that's what you want to do_

The entire time Gia sang she was twirling around in circles, trying to keep the beat by tapping her talons as if she were a tap dancer. When the time was just right, she would spread her wings and flap them in sync with the song.

"You're going to get us arrested!" Dusty gripped onto her ledge, hysterical.

Gia could tell that her roommates weren't into the rhythm yet, so she had to step it up a notch. Grabbing Isabelle's wing by hooking it with her own, she pulled the skittish Barn Owl into the dance with her.

Isabelle squeaked and tried to shrink back, but Gia wouldn't let her. Again Gia repeated the same verse she sang before, trying to get her timid roommate to clap along with her to the beat. Isabelle stayed stuck to the floor, though. She was so shy, it would make sense that the timid trainee would have stage fright.

She didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, so Gia let her stand there while she danced instead. She bounced around her in circles, singing all the while. She didn't sing too loud, since she didn't want to attract any unwanted guards, but she sang loud enough to feel like she was back at home, singing with her aunt. Only now, she was singing with her new friends.

A light shade of pink was visible from under Isabelle's face feathers. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed, but she smiled probably her first smile since being snatched. Tentatively, she took a couple steps in the same pattern Gia was taking to go with the music.

Jo had finally looked up, and was in denial at what she was seeing before her. "Do you not remember what happened yesternight? That this is the reason you are going to be punished tomorrow? Singing is forbidden, and so is dancing! So stop that this instant!"

Dusty watched, surprised at how well Isabelle could dance. Gia was more like a bizarre ball bouncing off the walls in the way she danced, but Isabelle was much more graceful. She almost looked professional. Her elegant twirls matched with Gia's oddballish way of spinning actually felt inviting.

Mid-spin, Gia saw Dusty's rigid figure calming down, which thrilled her. She could tell by looking at her that the Sooty Owl was warming up to the idea, but she still kept glancing at the entrance, like she was expecting armed owls to come storming in and throw them all in the dungeon at any given second.

She flew up to Dusty's ledge, landing beside her. Dusty flinched back, but she seemed too startled to say anything. With a few bubbly chirps and a flap of her wings, Gia pulled the Sooty down onto the dance floor with her.

Gia held onto Dusty's wing with her own as she tried to encourage her to join in the fun. Dusty appeared unwilling at first, and a moment of worry overcame Gia, but with Isabelle twirling around her and Gia hopping around like an idiot, Dusty was too entertained to keep herself from laughing.

Taking the risk, Dusty awkwardly tapped her feet at the same time that her friends did to match the beat.

To Dusty, it felt nice. To Isabelle, it felt wonderful. For Gia, the whole thing was marvelous. The three spun around in a circle together, tapping and clapping in semi-harmony. Dusty was rather unsure of herself on how to dance, so Gia and Isabelle came up on either side of her and lead her along, the tips of their wings touching as they went around in another circle.

"Enough!"

The three recruits all jumped, funnily in sync as if they were still dancing, and turned around. They weren't facing the entrance, they were facing the direction of the tallest ledge in Dorm Room 5 as Jo swooped down in front of them. For the first time, Gia saw real emotion on Jo's face, and it was definitely negative.

"Enough of this nonsense! Do none of you realize what you have done, what risk you are taking for something so idiotic, so pointless?" Though she had landed on the ground, her wings were outstretched on both sides of her. Gia guessed it was a way to make herself look bigger, more intimidating. Not that she needed any assistance in that.

"We were just having a little fun," Gia tried to reason, stepping forward. Jo towered over her, and everyowl else in the room for that matter.

"Fun?" Jo said, sounding furious. "Fun?" she repeated, louder, "Fun!? We are Pure Ones!"

"In training," Gia added.

"Pure Ones aren't supposed to have fun!" She stood taller, like she wasn't already tall enough.

"Pure Ones in training," Gia added again, "and why not? I'm sure Pure Ones relax when they're off duty, and same goes for Pure One students. We're not training. So, what's the problem?"

"This," Jo said, gesturing around, "is illegal." She lifted her chin up. If Gia had known what Dusty called 'the authorities' were, she would imagine Jo being a lot like them.

"Now that's nonsense." Gia waved her wing and dismissed such foolishness. "We are celebrating, and since when is celebrating illegal?"

Jo looked down at Gia, "You are celebrating with singing and dancing, and that is against the rules of the Pure Ones."

Dusty lowered her head, ashamed. She took a step back, regret seeming to have been smacked across her face. Isabelle followed the Sooty's idea, and tried to make herself blend in with the wall as she sunk back into the shadows. The feel of the Dorm Room had shifted dramatically in those few short seconds, all the way up from being buoyant to downright depressing.

Gia looked at the other two. So easily they were giving up, but Gia would have none of it. Turning to Jo, she stood up as tall as she could and walked up to her. Even at her full height, she still had to tilt her head back to look her in the eyes.

Dusty blinked as she watched the two Masked Owls tense up. It was obvious who would win if a fight did break out. Gia's tiny figure appeared so delicate, she looked like she could snap like a twig, especially when compared to Jo's ferocious form.

Isabelle hid behind Dusty, worried that a brawl might happen. Whether they used their speech or fists, she didn't want to see it.

The competition was so easy it was humiliating. The headstrong recruit knew that Gia wouldn't be a problem. She didn't need to go through any fighting strategies, or look for any weak points in her so called 'opponent'. All she had to do was raise a wing and with a good hard smack, the little owl would be knocked out cold.

Jo was more than ready. She wanted to get it over with so she could go back to resting, even though she wasn't at all tired. The Red Masked Owl waited for Gia to make the first move, and she did, and it wasn't what she was expecting, either.

Coming as a surprise to Jo, Gia smiled. She thought happy thoughts, and hooked Jo's wing with her own. "Yes, we are celebrating with singing and dancing, but we're doing it as Pure Ones."

"In training," Jo corrected in her distinct flat tone.

"Exactly!" Gia laughed and pulled Jo onto the dance floor. Jo stood there, as still as the stones of the Canyon Lands. She was acting like she was surrounded by cannibals, she even adopted half a defense stance. Gia bounced around her once, then came to a stop on her right.

Clapping her feet against the floor to resume the beat, Gia looked to her comrades to join in with eager eyes. Dusty stood there, unsure, but Isabelle strolled over to Jo's left and clapped her claws as well.

The paranoia in Jo's face said it all. She repeatedly glanced left and right, as if she was being ganged up on. In some ways, Gia supposed she was.

Gia reached out a wing to Dusty, and Isabelle followed and did the same. The two of them smiled at her, nodding their heads in an attempt to get her to clap with them. Dusty shook her head, then refused to meet any of their eyes. This whole time Jo's just standing there in the middle of the dancing, prancing chaos.

To dance or sing in St. Aegolius seemed so wrong, Dusty couldn't believe she had, even if it was only for a minute. It was the golden owl's fault. Ever since Gia came here she's been strutting around like a peacock. The bumbling idiot had no clue to the strict and proper ways of the Pure Ones, and yet she was so much more interested in their ways than most students who followed the rules.

It baffled Dusty.

Gia watched, her breath catching, as Dusty took a step towards them. She took a few more steps until her friend was directly in front of Jo. Gia swelled with joy in being able to call the Sooty Owl her friend, and Isabelle, too. She had never had friends before, and now she had two! Now if only Jo would lighten up.

Dusty, who was looking at the ground before, lifted her head up. If Jo hadn't been disciplined in the art of self controlled, she would have flinched. Dusty had a smile on her face. Not a very big smile, if anything her smile was rather sly, but a smile none the less. Jo personally thought Gia's smile was worse, but it was still disturbing to see anyowl smile in the Canyon Lands.

"What the hagsmire?" Dusty muttered, before she started tapping her feet to match her friends'.

The beat grew noticeably louder, which Gia took as her cue. She started bouncing around Jo again, only this time she kept going, continuing to clap her feet. Isabelle went in the circle with her, and with a shrug so did Dusty. Round and round they went. Gia bouncing, Isabelle with her graceful twirls, and Dusty stomping on the ground the hardest. The cold, hard ground increased the volume, along with the echoes off the wall.

_Happy_

_Bring me down, can none_

_Happy_

_Bring me down, your love is too high_

_Happy_

_Bring me down, can none_

_Happy_

_Bring me down, I said_

_Let me tell you now_

Gia stomped her feet against the floor faster, going around Jo to the point of frustration to the Red Masked Owl. Annoyingly, Dusty and Isabelle did the same. As creepy as the whole ordeal was, though, Jo couldn't remember the last time she had heard someowl singing, unless it was a foggy memory, but she tried not to think about that.

Gia repeated the same verse she just sang, with Isabelle singing the word "happy" back to back. Dusty wasn't much of a singer, but the fact that the Sooty had joined in at all was enough of a miracle to Gia, so she wasn't complaining.

Forcing back the smile she was feeling coming on across her face, Jo inhaled a deep breath. She told herself that she wasn't giving up, because Josephina never gives up. She was just giving in. There's a difference, she convinced herself.

Right at the high point of the song, Jo finally joined in.

_Because I'm happy_

_Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof_

_Because I'm happy_

_Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth_

_Because I'm happy_

_Clap along if you know what happiness is to you_

_Because I'm happy_

_Clap along if you feel like that's what you want to do_

Jo's voice was deep and powerful, but sounded so light, which was surprising since it was coming from the big, tough, Red Masked Owl. She swung her head back and sang out loud, louder than Gia, so Gia decided to let her take the lead.

Instead Gia hopped around, flapping her wings and stomping around to keep the beat. She sang the word "happy" over and over again with Isabelle, hooking the Barn Owl's dainty wing with her own as they went around each other. Jo and Dusty did the same, which was a sight Gia thought she would never see, especially when considering what happened two hours ago.

Everything felt light, joyous, and, well...happy. All the problems Gia had faced in the past week she had been with the Pure Ones now floated away with the song. The same effect appeared to be happening on the other owls as they all clapped and sang together, each with their own unique smile on their face.

Three friends. In a single night she had made three new friends. Giddy with the idea, Gia bounced all around them, singing a little bit louder. Together they all celebrated their graduation for the next hour, singing for only the four of them to hear. They danced from night and into the day, the joy of the moment lingering in the air.

Randomly, Gia remembered from her book, Legend Of The Guardians, that the main character of the story, Soren, had met three owls as well. The four of them had become long-time friends, perhaps even closer than friends, since they treated each other like family. Together the four of them were known as "The Band".

Later that following hour, as Gia fell into a deep slumber, she thought about herself and the three owls she had gotten the pleasure to know. They were like The Band, only that's not the name she would have chosen if she had to name their group.

Her eyelids closed, and her head sunk into her rocky nest as she passed out. Two words went through her mind as sleep took over: "The Gang"

* * *

Scars and burns. So many scars and burns. Why did it have to be on the face? It could have been on the shoulder, the leg, or the back, where he wouldn't see it. If he didn't see it, therefor he wouldn't think about it. It was hard not to notice a face scar, especially when you're looking into a mirror.

The King stared at the mask in his talons. A dark, threatening mask of metal. A sign of destruction and doom. The symbol of supremacy, of purity. It was anything but a reason to hide unsightly wounds, but luckily it did that, too.

He inhaled a deep breath, and again looked at the mirror hanging on the wall. The only time he ever took off the mask was when he was in his grand room, which was four times bigger than the standard rooms in St. Aegolius. His room was also one of the few that had things from what the Others, strange two legged creatures, left behind when they went extincted, like the mirror.

It felt good to be important, to be given such rarities. He was the highest rank, the king. He ruled over many owls, and after he took over the Great Tree, he would rule over all. Not just owls, but other creatures of the air, and those of the land and sea. Taking over the Great Tree was the key to the Southern Kingdoms, and when he had that, his army would spread to the Northern Kingdoms.

He was going to finish what Metal Beak, the original Metal Beak, set out to do. It was his destiny, and even if it wasn't, he would do it anyway. The world needed to be purified with Tyto Owls, with the Pure Ones. If he completed that, everyowl in all The Kingdoms would know of his capabilities. He would have all the power.

And he would crush any owl that got in his way.

That was in the future, though. Right at the moment, he was the High Tyto of the Canyon Lands, which was a good enough start. His subjects feared and respected him, like they should to their king. They did whatever he said, his court listened to his every word. If he gave out an order, it would be executed immediately.

So why was he unhappy?

It angered him.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the paperwork on his stone made desk. Most of it was the profiles of the failing students from the Prepping Stage Graduation. He had to read all that, which was sure to be a pain in the neck. On the upside, he did get to decide on a suitable punishment for all the sorry cowards who flunked their classes. It wasn't his fault they were weak.

A smile of menace spread across his beak. Like a true Pure One, he would take out his anger on them. Usually anger was for those who were impure, but placing it on the feeble Tytos would have to do. After all, the harder he pushed them, the stronger they would rise.

With much pride and dignity, he placed on the mask of Metal Beak, then went over to his desk.

Picking up his quill, he dipped it in ink and thought about the best way to push a recruit to the limits. He wanted to make sure that some were sent to the Infirmary, and he would personally be checking in on the lists of patients tomorrow to make sure of it.

He seriously hoped the creepy golden feathered Masked Owl ended up being one of them, but such thoughts were for another time. Right now, he had work to do.

* * *

**Hi people! Here it is, Chapter 5! **

**I swear, I can't go more than five days without writing, or I start to go crazy. I'll wake up in the middle of the night, or more like early morning when it's still pitch black outside, with an idea. Whether it's a scene, a character, or just a phrase, I have to write it down or my mind refuses to let me sleep. **

**In case some of you were wondering, I did tweak some of the lyrics to the song Happy in the Chapter. After all, I don't think hot air balloons exist in the Owl World, so instead I put "hot aired loon." A loon is a type of bird, and this story is all about birds, so it fits in nicely, don't you think?**

**If you don't think that, or have any other kind of critique, I would love to hear it. Just post it in the reviews or PM me to let me know what y'all think!**

**Thank you to everyone who has read my story this far. It makes me happy to know that people enjoy the creations I write, and it definitely motivates me to write the next chapter. Also, special thanks to those who have reviewed! Each time I get a new review I get so excited that I can't help but tell everyone I know about it. Thank you all!**

**One more thing I must add: The scene where Isabelle introduces herself is a Fluttershy reference from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Sometimes something is so funny that I have to consider adding it to my story! So every now and then I might make a reference, which I'll reveal at the end of the chapter like I did now. **

**Okay, just one more thing I have to say. I swear, last thing before the disclaimers! To luciayshadow, one of the people who have reviewed my story, I would like to say first, thank you very much for reviewing my story. Not only was your review heartwarming, but it also made me laugh! As for your question, I haven't put in any thought to giving my characters voices from actors. Usually I come up with the voices in my head, whether it's my story or someone else's, but that does spark my curiosity. Who would my characters sound like if they had the voice of an actor? If I ever see an actor or actress with a voice that suits one of my characters, I'll post it with the next upcoming chapter. I also have watched Ice Age 4, and I do think Fiona would have the voice of Nicki Minaj. Although, unlike the character Nicki plays in Ice Age 4, I have an odd feeling of evil coming from Fiona, but I haven't gotten to know her well enough to really be sure yet.**

**As always, we need a disclaimer before I fly off.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole. I also do not own the song Happy. I also do not own My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. **

**This story, however, is mine, and you may not use it in any way without my permission. **

**That's all, folks! Have a wonderful day! **

**-GG**


	6. The Flames Ignited

_"The truth? I told you the truth. The Pure Ones exist. They've kidnapped me and dozens of owlets from our hollows. They will enslave us all and rule our world without pity." _

_Words of Soren from Legend Of The Guardians._

* * *

White. In every direction she turned, was white. There was nothing but white. A white vastness, with nothing else at all. As far as she could tell, there was no ceiling or walls, but if there had been she was sure they would have been colored white. There was a floor, which was also white. It wasn't wood or stone, and it didn't make any sound when she stepped on it. It was just...white.

_This place needs more color, _was the first thing Gia thought. That, and that this place had to be in her dreams. She had no memory of waking up, just falling asleep.

"Hello?" Gia called out. Her voice was swallowed by the mass amount of area, making no echoing sound.

She had never had a dream like this before, or if she did she didn't remember it. This place was like the place of nothing. The only substance here was a foggy mist that covered the entire place, even if there was nothing to cover.

Gia wandered around. What else was she to do? Most of her dreams involved dragons, giant flowers, rivers, castles, distant planets, or swirling vortexes. The dream she was having, if this was indeed a dream, was odd, and also boring.

"Hello?" she tried again, "Is anyowl, anyowl at all, here?"

She kept on with her wandering, searching for anything other than fog and the color white. She was curious if there was something hidden in this strange dream, but anxiety was starting to settle in. She didn't like open spaces. She guessed she had developed agoraphobia, which was the opposite of claustrophobia, according to her book of fears, along with her fear of heights.

She tried flapping her wings to clear away the fog, but each time she made a patch of open air, the fog would swarm back in again even stronger. It was like sand, the more you try to dig a hole in it, the more it flowed in. At least, that's what her books said about sand. She had never actually touched it, or seen it before. She imagined that it was annoying.

Then she saw something, and it nearly scared the feathers off of her.

It wasn't that it was scary, but seeing a blurry figure in the distance, half hidden among the mist, was startling when you haven't seen anything but nothing in the past ten minutes. Although it was difficult to figure out what the creature was from this distance, its form indicated that it was a type of bird. A predator bird, judging by its size.

As she walked closer, the figure resembled more and more of an owl. The owl had his or her back turned to her, which didn't make identifying the bird any easier. She tilted her head this way and that to get a better look, until she confirmed that this owl was a Tyto.

"I've been expecting you," the figure said.

"Well that's not creepy at all," Gia remarked, stumbling back a bit. She had meant to keep that sarcastic thought in her head, but it blurted out with the shock when the owl spoke.

Still, she wasn't going to deny curiosity, so she came closer, although more cautious. The owl's voice was definitely masculine, with a deep and calm tone, so she was sure he was male. His feathers were a rusty red, with many speckles. He was also a lot taller than her, which was somewhat unnerving.

She was less than ten feet away from him when he decided to turn around. He moved slowly but smoothly, and yet Gia ended up startled anyway. She bounced back into a defense position, but she let her raised wings drop when she saw his face.

Or more like when she didn't see his face.

He was wearing a metal mask.

On instinct she dropped to her knees, remembering to lower her head this time. "Your Majesty. Please forgive me, I didn't know it was you."

"Oh, please, I will have none of that. Up, stand up." He ordered, though his voice stayed gentle. She didn't recall his voice sounding like that at her Graduation.

Hesitantly, though she'll admit eagerly, she got back up. She brushed dust that wasn't there off with her wings, trying to give herself something to do rather than just stand there.

He stood tall, his chest puffed out and shoulders pulled back. He watched her for a moment before stepping forward. As if it was at his mercy, the mist moved out of the way, creating a clear space as he walked. Not once did the fog touch him.

He came right up to her, which somehow caused her to have difficulty breathing. She did everything in her power to not look at him directly, staring off to the side like there was something much more interesting over there. It wasn't possible that something would be more interesting than the king in front of her, even if there was something over there.

He leaned in just the slightest bit, which wasn't helping to lower her blood pressure. "What is your name?" He asked.

"53-28, Third Class Golden Masked Owl." She answered in a single breath, since it was the only breath she could get out.

She could see in the corner of her vision him shaking his head. "No, no. I mean your real name. Surely you must have one."

His wing touched the side of her face, and turned her head so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. Having his wing on her face was more of a shock than him speaker to her, and she wasn't sure how to react to it, or any of it. She could tell that he was smiling from behind the mask.

"Gia," she said. Her vision was blacking out, so she took a step back. "Gia Bismarck."

"That name is beautiful," he complimented.

Gia couldn't stop the flattered smile that was coming to her face as she drew imaginary circles on the floor. "It is, isn't it?"

He nodded his head. He watched her intently, not once did his eyes veer away from the sight of her.

His calmness must have spread out to Gia, since she didn't feel as nervous anymore. Her breathing was more leveled, although her head was still light, and her bubbly demeanor returned.

"So," Gia, feeling braver, pretended that she didn't notice herself inching closer to him as she spoke. "what brings you here to the middle of nowhere, Your Majesty?"

The king rose his wing and with a gentle wave dismissed what she said. "Please, no fancy titles. It's not like we are in my royal court. We are, as you said, in the middle of nowhere."

Gia pounced at the chance quicker than a hungry snake on a rat. "Well, then." She looked the other way as she stepped by his side, acting like she wasn't moving in the first place. "If I am to not call you by fancy titles, what should I call you? Your name, perhaps?"

The king seemed pleased that she had moved next to him. "Ah, yes. Of course."

She fixed her eyes on him, a bright and eager smile spreading across her face.

He smiled right back at her. "My name-"

* * *

"Wake up!"

Gia's eyes flew open. Her dream, her most wonderful dream, was gone. _No...No, no, no! Fall back asleep! Back asleep! _

It was all for not, however, seeing that the guard who spoke wasn't going to let this slide. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her much more roughly than necessary. He didn't give her a chance to react, as he snatched the scruff of her neck and threw her to the ground.

"Wake up this instant, you little lowlife!"

_What on Earth? _In the past week she had been here, Gia had never had a wake up call like this. She rubbed the back of her neck, watching as another guard across the room dragged Dusty to her feet, only to throw her back down again.

She was about to shout at the guard, when a sharp pain struck her side. She coiled up around the injured spot on instinct right before her guard kicked her again.

"Get up!" he ordered, "You think I have all night? I said get up!"

Gia rushed to her feet and tried to fly ahead, away from the guard, but he snatched her by the shoulders and pushed her down. The guard didn't make any sense. He kept shouting for her to get up, and yet he kept pushing her back down, and he kept kicking her.

_Bunch of lunatics! _Gia thought. In a, she wasn't going to say desperate, attempt to escape the guard, she dropped, tucked, and rolled away. Bouncing back to her feet, she rose her wings and booked it towards the entrance.

"Hey!" The guard charged at her. Gia didn't notice this until she stopped to turn around, worried over Dusty, and saw him coming. He was going awfully fast in such a small space, even if Dorm Room five was roomy. Simply she stepped aside, and he rammed into the wall behind her, right next to the entrance.

Dusty was being tugged and pulled left and right by the guard who had her in his claws. She didn't struggle much, but she obviously wasn't happy about. Gia wasn't either.

Before Gia could help, although she wasn't sure how she would be able to help, her guard came up from behind and tackled her to the ground. He was three times bigger than her, and the amount of pressure he put on top of her made it feel like she was being flattened. He pinned her down for a moment, crushing her in the process, then forced her to her feet.

As he dragged her out, she saw her other two roommates in the corner of the Dorm Room. Isabelle was clinging onto Jo, much to Jo's disapproval, as she watched them get taken away with wide eyes. Jo wasn't quite so paralyzed, but she did look on with an almost sad look on her face. "Stay strong," she beaked the words.

_That is not a good sign. _

The guards continued to kick her and Dusty down during the duration of the trip, wherever it was they were going to. Each time she or Dusty was knocked down, the guards would yell at them like it wasn't their fault.

They dragged them by foot out of the Soldier Stage Dormitory, then down one of the pathways until they came out onto an open space. They were on a flat ledge that went around the side of a cliff, where other young owls stood in an unorganized cluster. They must have been on the western side of the Canyon Lands, since the sun was going down on this side.

Gia covered her face with a wing, her eyes watering with the sun's rays beating down on them. Though the sun was beginning its journey to set, they had at least three hours before dusk. Gia could not believe she was woken up at this early in the evening. To think, all she needed was ten or so more seconds to hear the name of her king in the dream she was having, before it was so rudely interrupted.

The guards shoved both of them into the group, causing more mayhem among the frazzled recruits. Gia stayed by Dusty's side, and for once Dusty didn't argue. Something bad was going to happen, both of them knew that, Dusty probably more so than her, and Gia wanted to be near her friend in case anything happened.

"That's the last of them," one of the guards said.

Gia pushed through the other recruits to see who the guard was talking to. Usually owls would hiss at her when she did that, or push her back, but all the young owls around her were so twitchy with fright. They jumped out of the way, fleeing to the back of the group.

A tall red owl who stood at the edge of the ledge dismissed the guards away, claiming that "the sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

Another owl flew in and landed next to him, this one gray. "Don't let it finish too soon. I've been waiting for this moment all week!" The gray owl flashed the crowd of recruits a strange, troubling smile.

The recruits flinched back. That smile alone terrified the young owls right down into the gizzard, Gia could tell by the why they trembled. Almost all of them were pushing another owl forward, almost as if offering them as a sacrifice in return for their safety and well being.

"This is just sad," Gia pulled Dusty in close and whispered in her ear slit.

Dusty shook her head. "More than just sad, this is pitiful." One of the recruits tried to move behind her, nudging her in front of him.

Gia never liked thinking negatively of anyowl, but watching a recruit use her friend as a shield made her feel...odd. It wasn't just an unhappy feeling, it was a strange feeling that she wasn't used to. Was she mad, or annoyed? Those words didn't seem to describe it in quite the right way, it wasn't intense enough.

One thing was for sure, the owl that was still pushing Dusty was the culprit for this unhappy feeling. Not only that, but for some reason the weakness in these recruits really ticked her off.

She felt her usually wide eyes squint as she focused on the recruit. She rammed him in the side and knocked him to the ground. He gasped, and back crawled away from her before rushing deeper into the crowd to hide himself. This irritated Gia even more.

"Pathetic," Gia muttered, agreeing with her partner.

Dusty raised an eye, staring at her. Her odd little friend wasn't one for mean words, but she had to admit, it felt nice to have an owl stand up for her. She could have knocked down the pushy recruit easily, but watching someowl else do it for her made her feel like she was important for once. She would look forward to seeing her do it again, if she could.

The red and gray owl turned to their group. Gia and Dusty walked to the front, wanting to see who it was that was going to speak to them. The two birds were both Long-Eared Owls, very similar in everything but their color and voices. The were clearly related, and both had strange, unnatural expressions on their faces.

Gia blinked. _Jatt and Jutt? Cool, _she thought. She hadn't seen either of the two sibling Snatchers since the day she was brought to St. Aegolius. It was amazing to think about what had happened to her in the past week she'd been living here. It made her want to fly right up to the Long-Eared Owls and tell them everything that had happened.

Jatt, the reddish Long-Eared Owl, stepped forward. He surveyed the group, and snorted at what he saw. "Well, this'll be fun, won't it?" he said to his brother.

The grayish Long-Eared Owl, known as Jutt, stepped up next to him. He too surveyed the group, and nodded his head, agreeing with Jatt. "Well, I would say I've seen worse, but...I haven't. These birds look like worms that grew wings."

His insult lashed out at the recruits like a whip, causing them shrink back, except for Gia and Dusty. Personally Gia didn't know what the big deal was. What he said might not have been very nice, but one could always take it as a compliment. When she thought about it, worms did help the environment, and a worm with wings could also fly! She tried not to giggle out loud at the thought.

"I guess we're just gonna have to fix that, then," Jatt said, cracking his talons like he was preparing. He adopted a more serious face, as if too say he wasn't playing around anymore.

"Listen up," he addressed the crowd, making sure he had all of their attentions, "These next twenty-four hours are going to be the worst of your lives, unless you're dumb enough to get sent back onto the Punishment List. My brother and I are here to make sure of it that you don't, and to fix you all up into some pretty tough soldiers."

"Our plan," Jutt now spoke, starting where his brother left off like they were the same owl talking, "is to break you, and I mean literally break you all down into dust, so that you may rise into a better bird. I ain't gonna lie, this is going to be one hagsmire of a night for each and every one of you,"

"and we're gonna savor every second of it," Jatt said, following his brother's sentence with a wicked smile. It was not pleasant looking.

"Here are the rules," Jutt continued.

"For the next twenty-four hours," Jatt said, speaking on and off with Jutt.

"You will not be allowed to-"

"sleep,"

"eat,"

"or speak, unless given permission otherwise."

The part with no sleeping or eating seemed bad enough, but when they said no speaking, Gia almost fainted. She could already feel herself hyperventilating. Twenty-four hours with no talking? She would never make it! The rule was already set, and the moment it was made her want to beg for it to be broken. She leaned onto Dusty for support, because she was sure she was about to fall over.

"The idea of this punishment practice," Jatt went on, "is to work you to the bone, to keep you moving nonstop 'til you can't no more."

"You will keep going until we say you can stop, and you're going to keep doing whatever it is that you're doing as fast, as hard, as best as you can until you stop," Jutt said.

Jatt began pacing in front of the nervous crowd, scanning them as he spoke, "Just to rub it in, I'm going to let you know that after the gruesome next twenty-four hours, you'll all be sent back to the Prepping Stage, only at the very bottom of your class," he paused when he saw Gia and Dusty. Dusty didn't show any hint of emotion, while Gia just waved shyly.

"Except...for those two, but for the rest of ya, don't be thinking you're getting anything out of this, 'cause you're not! This is purely to torture each of you so you won't end up at the bottom of the ranks ever again," Jutt finished for his brother.

The eyes of every recruit in the group fell upon Gia and Dusty. Gia didn't have to look to know they were all glaring at her. Being the only two owls to be graduating on the Punishment List was rubbing salt into the wounds of the poor owls who weren't. The humiliation and shame of going back was no doubt going to be unbearable for them, especially after tonight.

It wasn't like it was Gia's fault, though. She had no idea of what she did that got her to pass the test, but she had graduated. The other recruits had brought this on themselves, they let themselves sink to the bottom of their class, that was the whole reason they were here.

At least Gia had tried to rise to the top, to be the best she could be. She pushed herself to the limits, and she was still placed on the Punishment List.

They were Pure Ones in training, they were supposed to give it their all. Knowing that these whining recruits, who had the nerve to be glaring at her, didn't try their best made her want to see them get punished. She used to feel sorry for them, but now it made her strangely happy that they were here with her.

She knew why she was here. She had disobeyed the rules, and improperly caught the Bluebird. Dusty was at the bottom of her class, and she knew that, which was why she was here. It was time that these other recruits accepted their disciplining and started acting like real Pure Ones.

Waiting for the moment when the twin Long-Eared Owls weren't staring in her general direction, Gia whipped her head around without moving her body, which was a capability that owls had.

She glared right into the eyes of the recruits that were previously glaring at her, most of them flinching away immediately. For the somewhat braver recruits whom weren't moved by this, she moved her beak in a similar way to growling, but without letting a sound slip out. Their previous bravery dwindled away, and they, too, shrunk back.

Turning her head back around, she flashed a cheerful smile at Dusty, who smirked.

A sensation of dominance spread through her, and she savored it. It made her feel powerful. She glanced her newly learned glare to the right, startling the owls whom stood there. Dusty copied this and did the same to the left, having the same effect on the recruits in here sight.

Perhaps tonight wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Meanwhile, Jatt left his twin's side and walked over to one of the torches that filled the Canyon Lands with light. He picked up a smaller torch, one that an owl could hold, off the ground that Gia hadn't noticed was there before. He dipped it into the bigger torch, setting his torch aflame in a matter of seconds.

He passed that one to Jutt, then did the same with another torch that was laying on the ground. Gia didn't know why they needed torches. It was still light out, and even if it wasn't owls had superior night vision. Not only that, but there were already torches everywhere that let off enough light to know where one was going.

"Alright, so this is going to be a casual, everynight flight around the Canyons," Jatt said, inspecting his torch, "but with one little catch..."

Once again the two Long-Eared Owls approached the group. A talon clutched Gia's tightly. She blinked and turned her attention away from the twin Snatchers and to Dusty, whose face had suddenly gone very pale for a Sooty Owl. Gia was just watching, and wondering, as she witnessed what was going on, but her friend seemed to known exactly what was about to happen.

_That's not a good sign, _Gia thought.

Dusty fixed her eyes on her. She was tense, and something was obviously troubling her. Unable to speak, she beaked the word "Fly".

_That's not a good sign either._

Chaos erupted from the crowd of recruits, all of them dashing into different directions. A flash of glowing red passed by Gia, but she was too confused to comprehend what was going on. The first thing she would have done was sat there and tried to understand what everyowl was trying to do, if Dusty hadn't pulled her away.

After she flew off the cliff she let go of Gia's talon. The height hit Gia with a crashing wave of fear and anxiety. She kept flying, fearing that she would plummet the moment she stopped flapping her wings. It was like the journey to the Throne Room all over again.

The other recruits were starting to fly the same way as her, bumping and colliding into one another in panic. They were like a herd of prey animals stampeding away in terror. According to the books she had read back in Silverveil, prey animals only flee like this when they were spooked by something that appeared to be a threat, like a predator.

Gia flipped her head back while continuing to avoid the cluster of paranoid fliers around her. Not too far back, she saw Jatt and Jutt. By now she had figured they were going to be in charge of executing tonight's punishment, and she figured this was the first punishment on the list.

She watched, curious, as Jutt caught up to one of the recruits flying at the back of the class. It was clear that he was sent here because of his aerial skills, since he was struggling in flight already. As the trainee pumped his wings to stay up, Jutt flew in from right behind him, one of his signature, unnatural smiles plastered on his face.

Horror gripped Gia as she witnessed Jutt swing his torch at the young owl's tail feathers. There was a shriek, and a small fire lit across the back of the owl. Smoke went up into the air and trailed behind him as he frantically flew faster.

The fire wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't painless. It was easy to estimate how much it hurt as the burning bird trampled into the recruits flying ahead, attempting to use their bodies to put out the fire. It worked, but wisps of steam continued to follow him.

Although his tail feathers were now burnt, that didn't stop him from flying away as fast as his wings would let him. For a flier who appeared so feeble at first now flew like his tail feathers were on fire, which they literally were seconds before. He knocked Gia to the side as he rushed by, getting himself as far away as possible from the two Long-Eared Owls.

Jatt and Jutt were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their eyes. They had enjoyed it, and Gia wouldn't be surprised if they craved for more. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the need in their eyes as they searched for their next victim. A need for pain, a need to cause the pain, and a need to watch it.

It was beyond terrifying for Gia. Other recruits that had been falling back had taken noticed and were fleeing away in terror. Gia was one of them. No way was she going to let herself get burned by the torch of the evil twins. She wouldn't allow it.

Two more recruits were burned by the time she had caught up with Dusty. They had to get away, it was common sense. She wished she could have said something to encourage Dusty, and herself for that matter. They weren't allowed to talk, though, and even if they were Gia wasn't sure if she had the energy to talk anyway. She was too busy sucking in air to keep moving, so she doubted she could have had a decent conversation.

Already she was growing tired, and surely Dusty was, too. Neither of them were very good fliers, hence why they were here. Fortunately most of the recruits weren't, either, so staying safely in the middle of the pack and away from the twin Snatchers was less difficult.

She and Dusty were going to make it through the next twenty-four hours, she would make certain of it. No matter what they threw at them, or how unbearable the task, they would fight it. Like true Pure Ones, they would fight.

* * *

"Fight. Yes, fight. Fighting efficiently is a valuable skill, and is crucial to the life of a Pure One. Fighting is the first lesson we teach new students in the ways of Purity, starting at the youngest age possible. Of course discipline is another trait we exercise, but that is something that accompanies all the lessons that you will be taught, including the next step into your education: Anger."

Gia pounded her wings to keep her altitude, which was becoming increasingly effortful when she was lifting a basket of rocks. The instructions were for the second part of their punishment was to stay at a certain height and hover until given the command to land.

The point of this exercise was to practice multitasking, which meant that they had to learn several different things at the same time. For Gia, this idea of learning was impossible for her short attention span and overly active mind. She thought the last task was worse, but now she was having second thoughts.

Inside one of the many huge rooms of the Canyon Lands, Gia's Punishment Listed Class was hovering around in a wide circle all around the circular area. They were each carrying a basket filled with rocks as they tried to stay hovering, all the while taking a pop quiz on the beliefs of Purity. It was utter nonsense.

In the center of the room was Professor Zakk, some crazy Grass Owl that had feathers which made him look like he was just electrocuted. He was an instructor for tutoring young owls in the ways of the Pure Ones, and was an expert on their history and methods. It was easy to tell, since he was lecturing them like it was a second instinct next to breathing.

"Anger is a measure of strength. The more anger you have, the stronger you'll be. Tapping into your inner anger brings out your true abilities, and can create you into quite a ferocious being. We, the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones, are here to teach you how to do just that."

Gia tried to pay attention, she swear she did, but it was bothersome to listen to some wacko go on and on about something when she had no clue to what he was talking about. It didn't help that she also had to focus on flying with a basket of rocks while doing so, either.

"Although some of you may not feel angry now, I assure you that there is anger inside of you. There is always anger inside of you, you just haven't come intact with it yet," Professor Zakk said, pacing around the area as he spoke, "I am here to instruct you on finding your inner anger. At times when you need strength, you turn to anger, but to do so you must know how."

He came to a stop in front of the place where Dusty would land when she was given the permission. At the moment she was twenty feet in the air hovering with her basket, trying to keep herself up.

"53-05," Professor Zakk addressed, swiveling his head to the side to look up at Dusty, "When you need something to be angry about, what do you do?"

For the pop quiz, Jatt and Jutt had given them the okay to speak, but only when spoken to. It relieved Gia of having to keep in all her words for the full twenty-four hours, but she didn't necessarily get to chose them since she had to answer a question.

Dusty heaved in a quick breath before answering, "Focus on the owls you hate the most, and why you hate them." She flapped her wings harder, since she fell down in height while forcing out the energy to speak.

"That is correct." He walked over to the next student, which just so happened to be Gia.

_Darn it! _How was she supposed to answer a question when all of this made no sense to her? She took in a few labored breathes, then endured the pain of straining her wings by flapping them harder. She did this so that she could answer her instructor without losing altitude, not that she would know the answer.

"53-28," He now addressed Gia, "When in the unlikely situation of not having anything or anyowl to focus your anger on, what do you do?"

Gia had no idea. "You...come up with a hypothetical reason to be mad at something then let it go and try again tomorrow?" It was the best she could come up with.

Professor Zakk, clearly not amused, snapped his talons. On cue, Jatt, who had been watching nearby on a ledge with his brother, flew up to Gia and dropped another rock into her basket. The extra weight might not have made much of a difference if she hadn't been struggling to begin with.

Jatt gave a cruel smile, one side of his beak twitching up and an eye squinting in what she thought must have been an attempt to appear threatening.

As soon as the Snatcher flew away, she let her flapping cease for a second's break so she could let out a sigh. Lifting her head up while using as little effort as possible, she studied the other recruits and how they were fairing.

Each time someowl answered a question wrong, another rock was added to their basket. So far the majority of the students had baskets of five rocks, the worst being nine and the easiest being two. Everyowl started out with one rock, but seeing that they were learning a new lesson, the possibility of them giving a wrong answer was pretty high.

She blew out a burning breath and kept on flapping, each wing beat hurting more than the last. It could be worse, she guessed. Her basket had six rocks, while the student on her left was about ready to collaspe with a burden of eight.

Professor Zakk had enough courtesy to skip that student and continue on with his lecture. "When, if you ever find yourself, in peril and cannot find a suitable reason or being to pull your anger from, you turn to the one thing that you should always feel angry about," he paused, glancing around at his pupils to be sure they were paying attention when he said, "The Impure."

It was as though all the recruits had forgotten their struggle with the rocks and the pain it was causing for a moment of silence, the professor's words sinking in. Not in Gia's case, that is. What he said did deeply effect her, but that didn't mean she understood a thing of what it meant.

Professor Zakk was pleased with this reaction. "Yes, the Impure. They are the owl species besides us Tytos. Specifically speaking, for your proper and thorough understanding, they are known as the Striga Owls, or 'True' Owls, as some call them. We are the very opposite, we are the Tyto Owls, or the 'Pure' Owls."

A hundred questions went through her mind, one zipping by after the other. They came and went so fast that it seemed that they had become a list of questions, boiling at the back of her throat, begging to be asked. They tied around her brain and choked her like a Boa Constrictor. It was painful.

"They are the creatures that disgrace the noble species of owls. They are the birds that pollute the skies, rampaging freely among themselves, causing chaos wherever they go."

It was a challenge to keep up with what it was that he was saying, but Gia managed as best she could. Although he better not expect her to know any of that stuff.

"Imagine that they are an infestation that had somehow manifested in your tree. If not taken care of, they will take over and demolished your home, turning the once pure and clean tree into a pile of sticks in the dirt on the forest floor. It is our job to destroy them, to prevent that from ever happening."

Gia didn't believe an ounce of this insanity. The mad scientist was feeding them foolish fictional beliefs. It wasn't logically sane, it was more like something that would only make sense through the eyes of a maniac.

_Who came up with this ludicrous? _Gia thought. She seriously hoped it wasn't the High Tyto.

Ever since she had seen him, his image had been stuck in her mind, showing itself behind her eyelids whenever she blinked an eye. Even during her multitasking test she could still picture him. The nightdreams of him did distract her from hovering and listening, but it was encouraging, and it was a good excuse to forget the sizzling pain in her wings.

"Anger is strength, anger is power. When you are insulted by someowl, don't worry about what they said. Take the anger you felt that came from the insult. When you are knocked down by someowl, don't shed tears about what they did. Hold onto the anger you got from hitting the ground. When someowl is doing something that you don't like, don't put up with it. Use the anger they gave you and make them pay!"

The Professor was getting more into his lecture as he went on, creating gestures with his wings and dramatic facial expressions to emphasize the idea.

_Yep, he's crazy. _

"You need to know anger inside and out, be able to recognize its feeling and have the control to use it. You need to be as close to anger as you are to yourselves, know it like the back of your wing. Feed on it, breathe it, live it."

Jatt and Jutt flew up to the Professor suddenly, then whispered something in his ear slit. He nodded his head several times over, then composed himself into a more proper stance. "That is enough for tonight. You may all land-SLOWLY!"

He shrieked as every student in the area dropped like flies. It was too late for a talon full of recruits. They had already gone limp in the air and smacked into the ground. Gia nearly joined them, but she flapped her pained wings and positioned herself enough to come in for gentle landing...well, gentler.

She felt like a fish out of water, gasping for air. About ready to die like a fish out of water, too. She didn't think it was possible, but it hurt even more now that she wasn't moving. For a long time she just laid there, or at least she would have if not for the evil twins with the funny faces.

"Alright, alright. That's enough of a nap," Jutt said after roughly twenty seconds of a break, "It's time to get up. So get up!"

Jatt clapped his wings in a sarcastic attempt to encourage everyowl, "Oh, come on, now. You can't be tired already!"

_Oh, yes I can, _Gia thought. She was starting to like those two less and less, but refused to think negatively of them. They were just doing their jobs, like Pure Ones were meant to.

They were Long-Eared Owls, though. So far Gia had thought only Tytos could become Pure Ones, since that's what all her instructors had been teaching them. Didn't her Tradition Instructor, Professor Zakk, just cram all that nonsense about such things in her brain? Then again, that owl was as nutty as a fruitcake.

She would have to spend more time with the Pure Ones if she was going to be able to understand their ways.

Body screaming for mercy, she pushed herself to her feet. Sparkles danced across her vision, which was beginning to black out. She leaned against the wall, blowing air out as quickly as it went in. Dusty came up next to her, patting her back.

Unable to speak, which was excruciating, Gia glanced up at her friend and dipped her head to let her know she was okay. She gave out three breaths, indicating that she was hurting. She pointed in the spot it hurt most, which was her shoulders.

Dusty nodded and patted her shoulder lightly, in a way to say "Ah, you're fine."

Gia cracked her back and fluffed her feathers, trying to shake the ache off. Tapping her beak and waving a wing forward, she spoke to Dusty in the silent language they had come up with in the seldom moments they had to rest. Dusty understood what she meant, which was "You're right, I'm good. Let's go before they tack on extra exercises."

Tonight was an agonizing witching hour of piercing torment, laborious work and torture. Her bones had been sawed down to mere beakpicks **(Hoolian word for toothpick. Can't call it a "tooth"pick if they don't have teeth!)**, her muscles felt like jelly, and the night was only half over.

Her friend was here, though, and somehow that made everything better.

* * *

The class of Punishment Listed owls marched single file down yet another one of the various pathways of St. Aegolius. Jutt was in the front, since he was "two minutes older" than his twin, therefor Jatt was keeping track of the line in the back.

Gia didn't understand why the twins were even in the ranks of Purity, since they were both Long-Eared Owls. Professor Zakk had said that only Tytos were Pure Owls, so why were the "Impure" even in the Canyon Lands?

She tried to ask Dusty about it through their special silent language, but her friend didn't get it. Dusty shook her head and shrugged, to show she had no idea what she was trying to communicate about. Gia sighed with defeat, and decided to pay attention to what was up ahead.

Since they were in the Punishment Listed Class, rankings among purity didn't count, since they were all being disciplined anyway. This way Gia and Dusty didn't have to worry about their spot in the line, so they both made sure to stay by each other. They did their best to get to the middle of the line, furthest away from Crazy Twin 1 and Crazy Twin 2.

Jutt was speaking up ahead, but Gia didn't listen. She had been awake for roughly sixteen hours, and the need for sleep was starting to kick in. Although she could hear the noises other owls were making as they spoke, understanding the words that they said was a different story.

The hunger that was gnawing at her belly didn't help, either. She was so hungry that it was actually beginning to hurt, making it painful to keep moving, which was all they were doing tonight. She would much prefer one of the savory fruits from Silverveil, but at this point even the regular meal of a flavorless vole and a side of crickets sounded delicious.

Above all, not being able to speak was the worst. The brief exception during their lesson on anger with Professor Zakk didn't help at all. She could barely make a word out during the lesson, and they weren't words that she had wanted to say, either.

She could almost feel the bubble of words building up in her chest, and the bigger it got the more it wanted to float to the top of her throat and explode. Holding down her longing for verbal communication was becoming a challenge in itself.

Gia pretty much focused on all this misery while she marched. It was making her feel unhappy, temperamental even, so she focused on positivity instead. That always made her feel better.

The sensation of singing, and the pleasure of earning a laugh after a well thought out joke. The tasty flavor of a fresh mango, or the sweetness of a just baked cookie. The feeling of a nice warm nest, cuddling up with her owlipoppen as she drifted off into a wonderful dream.

Thinking of these happy thoughts reminded her of that dream she had about the King. How she would love to fall back asleep to that wonderland again, a land where all she needed was him to keep her company.

To close her eyes, to rest on a comfy nest and let her imagination take place sounded divine...

Distress was apparent on Dusty's face as she watched her friend basically fall asleep while marching. She could clearly see the drowsiness in her face, and she looked as if she would close her eyes at any given moment.

Slight irritation along with worriment filled Dusty, panic setting in. If she didn't think of something quickly, Gia was going to pass out in the middle of the pathway. She was already being punished, she didn't want her to have anything extra tacked onto that.

It was like sign of Glaux. Glancing around for anything, anything at all interesting enough to catch her friend's attention, Dusty caught sight of something blue. It was startling, since color was rare in the Canyon Lands, but it was perfect.

Dusty tapped Gia's shoulder urgently, wanting her to see before the little blue flash disappeared. Then again, Dusty wondered if she had just imagined things. She was tired and hungry herself, and since when did a speck of blue pop out of nowhere?

Then there it was again. There was even a flash of yellow along with it. Other recruits were taking noticed as the blue and yellow thing darted out and zipped behind one rock to another, so Dusty was sure it was real.

All doubt gone, she tapped Gia's shoulder more roughly. She tried not to do it in a way that attracted attention, but she might as well have been beating Gia's shoulder as she pounded her wing against it.

A strike of pain came from Gia's shoulder, the one that was injured in the Final Test Race, and went up her neck. Her eyes blinked open and she flinched away, dizziness making her sway.

She whipped her head around, so badly wanting to ask Dusty why she would do that. Her whole darn neck hurt now, it ached so much that it hurt just to turn around and look at her.

A smile spread across Dusty's face, which was startling considering that she was being punished today, and that she was Dusty, and Dusty doesn't smile often. She smirked and pointed at a spot up ahead with her talon.

Anytime she would have loved to see a smile on her friend's face, but with the situation they were presently in, it confused her. She tilted her head, which in their secret silent language meant "I don't get it."

Having to use her talons for walking, Dusty started using her wing to point at the spot instead, which also helped to make a bigger point. She kept pointing her wing in that direction, but Gia didn't understand.

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep and nutrients that was miking it difficult to comprehend things. Doing her best not to draw attention, Dusty kept pointing with her wing. Gia shook her head.

Dusty swallowed down a groan. She wished she could grab Gia's head and turn it in the direction she was supposed to be looking at as she marched, or shout to take a look ahead.

An ear slit ringing screech sounded further up along the line. It couldn't have been one of the recruits, unless one of them slipped a sound. In that case they were going to be screeching a whole lot louder when they got punished for it, but the screech didn't sound like something that would come from an owl.

Gia blinked, and swiveled her head back in its natural position of facing forward. She missed Dusty's eyes widening, her once pointing wing now waving back and forth as she tried to silently tell her to not see the scene.

She saw it. It was the little Bluebird from the Final Test Race, Twitter, the bird that she caught. It was quite the coincidence that she was seeing him now, since catching him landed her in the very position of both graduating and being placed on the Punishment List, which she was in now.

She knew he was the same bird. Afterall, how many Bluebirds could be wondering around in a canyon? There was something bright yellow in his beak, which she immediately recognized. It was the flower that she had brought with her to St. Aegolius, the flower from her Earleaf tree, from home.

It was double the good news, until it all came crumbling apart as she witnessed what was happening. A large recruit, a Greater Sooty with a scar over his left eye, had snatched the Bluebird from behind a rock. He dragged him out from his hiding spot, using his claws to dig into the bird and hold him in place.

The Greater Sooty glanced behind and in front of him, making sure Jatt and Jutt wouldn't see him. A look of hunger spread across his face as he smiled at the bird in his grasp. He glared at the recruits closest to him, daring them to tell.

The recruits shook their heads quickly, leaning away from him. It was obvious the cowards weren't going to say anything to anyowl, not that they were allowed to speak anyway.

The Bluebird dropped the yellow flower and opened his beak to scream, but the Greater Sooty saw this coming. He squeezed down harder on the creature, digging his nails into him. The little bird let loose a straggled squeak before the air was squeezed out of him.

Gia could see drool coming from the horrid recruit's beak. _He's going to eat him! _She screamed in her mind. Shock had taken over her, deeming her too stunned to move as she witnessed the most horrific scene in her life.

The recruit leaned in to bite the bird's head off first, so it wouldn't alert anyowl if it tried to scream again, when a striking burst of pain hit him in the back of his head. He gasped and dropped the bird, covering his head with his wings. The recruits behind him stared down at the rock on the ground, then they turned their heads around at the owl whom threw it.

Gia sniffled and looked at Dusty. Her friend acted like she didn't notice what she just did, and put her wing on Gia's shoulder. She pointed at her eyes and shook her head, which meant "You can't cry."

Sucking in a breath and blinking back the tears, Gia nodded and continued marching. Other recruits near them in the line stared at Dusty, wondering why she would have done that. Dusty pretended she didn't do anything with an act worthy enough for a theater, and kept on marching as well.

Fortunately, the Greater Sooty didn't see when Dusty had thrown the rock at him, and neither did Jatt and Jutt. Gia was grateful for that. She didn't want to see her friend, her best friend, get in trouble because she had done something for her.

Not to mention the obvious strength that the Greater Sooty possessed. She had no idea how he had ended up in the Punishment Class if he was as strong as he appeared. She was extra grateful that he, particularly, hadn't seen Dusty when she had hurt him. He could have easily pummeled her if he had.

At one point they reached the spot where the Greater Sooty had tried to eat the Bluebird. Small spots of blood speckled the area, and lead a trail off into another direction. Worry gripped Gia for the little bird that she had named Twitter. So badly she wanted to abandon the class and go after him, to make sure he was alright.

She glanced around, searching for a sign of the Bluebird. The possibilities of how injured he could be wrapped around her head, causing panic to start welling up inside her like a swelling bruise that grew more and more painful the bigger it became.

Bruise! Was he bruised? Was he broken?

He could have broken a wing when he was dropped, or broken a foot, or both. He could have deep gashes from when the brute of an owl snatched him with his nails, or a twisted wing when he tried to get away. He might have severe incisions that demand stitching, or worse, internal bleeding. Gia couldn't fix something as serious as that.

Anxiety was making it difficult to breathe, and the possibility of passing out seemed prospective. Now would had been a good time to have one of those artistic fans she used to fan herself with whenever she became overly stressed back at home.

Up ahead, Jutt called out for them to halt. It was good timing, since Gia didn't feel like she could walk any longer. The intense mixture of sleep deprivation, malnourishment, and worriment was taking a toll on her stability. She hoped that if she fainted Dusty would be there to wake her up before anyowl noticed.

Her Long-Eared Owl instructor started off on another lecture, but this time Gia ignored him on purpose. Something else had caught her attention.

Not too far away, lying on the ground, was the delicate yellow form of her flower. It was welted, dying or already dead, but the center of it still shone bright.

Using the tip of her wing, she tried to pull it in closer so that she could grab it. She couldn't move from her spot in the line, but each time she managed to touch it all she did was push it further away.

Frustrated and determined, she stretched out her wing as far as she could and as quickly as she could before someowl that could speak saw her doing it. She could feel Dusty kicking her leg quietly, which obviously meant "Stop! You'll get in trouble!". Each kick meant "I said stop!", and Dusty kicked her a lot.

She almost fell over trying to get the stubborn flower, but finally she hauled the thing in close enough to pull it under her wing with no trouble. She glanced around to make certain that no owl, besides the nearby recruits, saw what happened. She flashed her smile of triumph at Dusty, who did not return the smile.

Carefully she picked it up, holding it as the fragile plant fell apart in her talons. Even in pieces it was beautiful, reminding her of the time when the sun rose, making the flowers of her home glow like the first rays of dawn.

The yellow flower brought back memories of home, of her aunt, the things she cherishes, and those first few nights she spent here in St. Aegolius. All those memories packed into one, tiny, crumbling flower.

A true smile, one of sheer joy, came to her face. She closed her eyes and let herself dwell in the loving sensation that the yellow flower brought. A warmth spread through her, a familiar feeling that added to the memories that came flooding back.

How she had missed that feeling.

The song Auntie would sing to her, the deliciousness of mangoes and other exotic fruits in Silverveil, the beauty of a fresh painting, the excitement she got when opening a new book, and many more images the flower brought back to her.

It also brought back the rather recent memory of Twitter.

Her eyes flew open, and suddenly she didn't feel happy anymore. The warmth that she felt moments ago seemed to turn up in heat, until it was so inflamed it burned away the memories, and the good feelings with it.

She didn't know what it was, but it was startling. It sizzled deep within her bones and boiled her blood. She felt like her body was being set on fire. She felt the heat tingle underneath her feathers, searing her skin, making it burn.

No, she was definitely not happy. She didn't know what it was, but it sure wasn't anything near happiness. It felt like the complete opposite. She couldn't push it out of her system, and the more it sat there in her, the less she wanted it to leave.

It wasn't comforting, it was more of embracing. She liked it, but she didn't like why she had it. Her muscles tensed, and she crushed the flower in her claws.

* * *

"Alright," Jatt began, "The last exercise of the day!"

"Let's hope so," Jutt yawned, and rubbed his eyes. It was daytime now, and for almost twenty four hours the Punishment Class had been awake. It started to show in the faces of the students around the fifteenth hour mark, when they had been teased with temptations.

The two Long-Eared Owls had eaten a full meal, and the whole class had been instructed to watch just for the torment of it. The twins were also allowed to sleep, in which the class had to stand guard outside the twins' dorm and do nothing for four, agonizingly long hours. Pure One Guards had been stationed nearby and were instructed to keep an eye on the class in case anyowl got any ideas.

Even with the four hours rest, the gray feathered instructor was tired, looking like he could have slept longer. His brother was a lot more enthusiastic about the next activity.

Gia didn't know what ticked her off more. The fact that even well rested and fed the gray one was still tired, or that the red one was being all perky and excited because he was well rested and fed.

If they only knew what Gia, Dusty, and the others were going through. They hadn't slept in so long that it seemed as if they had been awake for days. They couldn't shut their eyes without the risk of passing out, and the hunger that had been following them gnawed away at whatever energy they had left. Gia wanted to make the twins feel like that.

"We've saved the best for last," Jatt went on, "It's the big finale, the finish line you've all been waiting for..."

_Oh, for Glaux's sake, just say it already so we can get it over with! _Gia was ready for this to end. She would scarf down whatever meal they would be given, which would be a slab of meat and a side of crickets, as always, and crash onto her nest. So badly she wanted to do that right now.

"The fight of the fittest!" Jatt threw his wing up in the air in a dramatic pose, an overly exaggerated expression on his face. He blinked and looked over at Jutt, who was falling asleep against the wall.

Annoyed, Jatt dropped his pose and glared at the snoring figure of his partner.

"I said.." The red brother stomped over and hit his twin upside the head, almost knocking him over in the process. "The fight of the fittest!" Jatt repeated his pose and expression, glancing at his brother expectantly.

Jutt stumbled and looked around, startled. "Fight and fit, fit and fight! Finish, fighting, fickle, finish...The fish of the fightest!" He copied a poor example of Jatt's pose.

Jatt sighed, realizing that his brother had totally missed his cue, and turned back to the class. "Here's how it works. I'll pick one of you, he'll pick one of you," He jabbed a talon in the direction of his brother, "and the two of you will fight."

Coming up next to Jatt, somewhat more awake now, Jutt carried the next part of the instructions, "It's not a fight to the death, unfortunately," he sounded disappointed as he said that, "but you will not be allowed to give up. In other words, there is no surrender flag in this game, kids."

"You will keep beating the feathers off one another until we call out the winner, and the winner had better be the one I picked," Jatt glared at the class in front of him, as if he was betting that they would somehow slip up and ruin it for him.

The gray instructor next to him chuckled. "You still owe me from last time."

Jatt redirected his glare to him, "Yeah, so you got lucky. Big deal, but that ain't gonna happen this time around," The Long-Eared Owl whipped his attention back to the class, "You all got that!?"

Even Gia, in her half awake state, flinched back at her instructor's sudden outburst. She was starting to get the idea that this Fight of the Fittest thing was just a game to the two twin owls. She guessed that whomever they picked would represent the one who picked them, and the student that lost was probably going to get an extra beating from losing as well.

_Gee, this game sounds fun, _Gia sarcastically thought.

Nothing was causing a hint of emotion, other than things similar to frustration, out of Gia. She was too tired to focus on positivity, or keep a smile on her face. She would start thinking happy thoughts, and then the twins would order them to do another excruciating exercise. Everything that had happened tonight, which was now day, had killed her mood.

Then she witnessed the first fight.

It was the most horrific duel she had seen yet, it topped every other practice fight she had back in the Prepping Stage of the Academy. Unlike her practice fights, which had strict rules about how much one could injure his or her opponent, the only rule for this was to make sure you didn't end up killing the owl.

Gia clutched onto Dusty's wing so tightly she was sure it was stopping her circulation. It burned her eyes to watch the bloody mess as both recruits, two Masked Owls, beat the consciousness out of each other.

They were evenly matched in size, strength, and speed, which made the battle a whole lot worse. She didn't why those two recruits were placed in the Punishment Class if they could fight so viciously. Were the other recruits in the Punishment Class like this? Then how did they end up here, and just how strong were the rest of the recruits from their original class that had graduated?

Dusty grimaced as one recruit jabbed the other. So far the owl that Jutt had chosen was winning, judging by the way he clawed at the one Jatt picked. Jutt's chosen owl rammed Jatt's into a wall, raising his talons to rake the face of his competitor, which he did.

Jutt smirked. "Ready to admit defeat?" he said to his brother, raising an eye at him.

"Never!" Jatt looked on at how the battle was going. It was clear how determined he was to win, since his twin had won the last Fight of the Fittest. Still, as he watched on as the match continued, he could see his recruit was losing.

Jutt's recruit dug his claws into the others wing, holding him down so he wouldn't throw him off. The hurt Masked Owl could only claw at his opponent's back, which was painful in itself, but the winning recruit wasn't going to let up.

"He's got this," Jatt said, although it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Although his back was drenched in the blood his rival had scrapped from it, the winning Masked Owl refused to let go. Instead he drove his talons in deep and teared at the other recruit's wing. A sickening scream ripped through the area in the canyon. It was so loud it echoed down the hallways.

Gia felt like fainting.

"Alright!" Jatt said, throwing his wings up in defeat.

By what Gia was guessing, both the instructors had to agree before a winner was crowned, and obviously the instructor with the losing recruit was going to wait until the very last minute to do something as shameful as that.

The instructors flew up to the two brawling owls, signaling that the fight was done. Jatt shoved the winner off of his owl, which to Gia seemed like a kind, almost protective thing to do, like he actually cared for the recruit he picked. That is, until he snatched the loser by his injured wing and yanked him off the ground.

The Masked Owl held back a shriek, gripping his wing in pain. His wing, along with a good portion of his body, was covered in blood, dripping off of him and onto the ground. The agony on his face was nauseating to look at, and already Gia could feel her dizziness returning.

"Ah, stop complaining, you're fine!" Jatt smacked the owl on the back and shoved him forward. "Infirmary's that way." He pointed a wing down a nearby pathway. It was like he was saying "Get out of here before I beat you up myself!"

Jutt patted his winning recruit on the head as if he was some sort of prize, and gesture for him to join the rest of the class. "Wow," Jutt said, turning to his brother, "First fight, first guy to be sent to the Infirmary. That was quick. Last time it took four fights before that happened."

"Shut up," Jatt spat, and marched over to the class. He eyed each of them, sizing them all up to see which of them would give him the best chance at winning the next round.

Gia shrunk back, trying to make herself look as invisible as she could, like a speck of dust that anyowl could blow off. For the first time since she had enrolled in the Training Academy, she wanted to look weak, that way neither of the twins would want to pick her.

_You don't want to pick me, _she thought as Jatt's eyes glanced over her. _I am nothing. I'm not even here, I am nothing more than a figment of your imagination._

On one of the walls, Jutt was scratching a mark that verified his win. There were other tallies on the wall from past events like this, along with blood stains to prove it.

Her frustration disappeared and was replaced by fear. She didn't need to look around to know that she was one of the smallest students in the class. Golden Masked Owl's weren't very big, and to think that all the recruits here were said to be puny compared to their original classes. Not to mention her slow speed, lack of strength, and clumsy excuse for agility made her just about the omega of the class.

Only one thought flew through her mind, and funnily enough it brought her back to the time when she was in her Earleaf tree, right before she was enrolled into the Training Academy, watching Max come flying towards her in the rain. _I am going to die._

That was a positive thought when weighed against what just happened to the Masked Owl that lost the "game". It wasn't so much as a game as it was a beating, or, more specifically, a punishment.

An hour or so had gone by, and with the ending of each fight the next one after it became crueler than the last. The recruits fought like savages, tearing, biting, and doing anything that they could to beat the other. One small sized Grass Owl crushed her much bigger opponent in between two rocks, and what appeared to be a wimpy looking Sooty Owl turned out to be a feral beast that almost ripped the eyes out of another Sooty.

So far five owls had been sent to the Infirmary, one having to be carried away by a Medic due to losing consciousness. The rest had either limped, hopped, or dragged themselves down the hallway to what Gia hoped to be a safe haven.

Another clash had ended, with this time Jatt's chosen student coming out victorious. He had pinned his rival down, rendering him helpless and unable to move. For too long, way too long, he had pounded the recruit in the face with his wings. He had punched him while the damaged owl thrashed around desperately, his face so battered that Gia couldn't bear to look at it any longer. That was the owl that had lost consciousness.

Then it was Gia's turn. Jatt had chosen her, and for some reason she had hoped that it would be Jutt to choose her instead, but either way, she was going out on the fighting field.

Gia turned to Dusty, panic beginning to consume her. Dusty gave a halfhearted smile and put a wing on her shaking shoulder, then nodded her head towards the fighting field. She nudged her forward and said in their silent language "Don't fret over it, you've got this."

Feeling a bit braver with her friend's encouragement, Gia stood straighter and took a deep breath. She thought happy thoughts as best she could in her exhausted mind. Peanut butter popcorn..._Wait, what?_

She shook her head and tried again. Peanut butter _and _popcorn. There, that was better. With that, a decent enough smile came to her face. She showed Dusty her smile, indicating that she was ready, and made herself appear as fearless as she wished she felt and walked to her fighting spot.

After reaching her assigned spot on the fighting field, which was on the far side of the room, she lifted her beak up and continued her positive thinking while Jutt picked out her opponent.

She pretended that it was no big deal, that winning the fight would be as easy as eating a pie, and that the blood stains in front of her was just her imagination. She made herself believe that everything she had seen in the past several fights were highly exaggerated, that she could shrug this fight off with no problems at all.

Convincing herself of all these things boosted her confidence, helping her ignore how frightening this actually was for her. Over and over she repeated what Dusty had silently said to her, like she could pull power out of the words. If Dusty said she would be fine, then she would be.

Meanwhile, Dusty turned her head away, guilt gnawing at her gizzard. She hated lying to her, but it was better than letting her know what was going to happen. At best she could flee, dodging attacks while flying around the room, but Dusty knew how bad her speed was. Her strength and agility wasn't all that great, either.

The idea of watching an owl like Gia, someowl so sweet and kindhearted, being broken by some recruit bigger than her, was too despicable to believe. She was too soft, too fragile. There would be nothing left of the Gia Dusty knew once this was over.

Pain was something Dusty was used to, she had experienced it throughout her entire life, but a new kind of agony ripped through her being. It pained her to let this happen to the owl that she could call a friend, but there was nothing that should could do, except try to pick up the shattered shards of her remains after she lost, and try to put them back together.

Dusty closed her eyes once she heard Jutt call out a recruit.

_I've got this, _Gia kept saying in her head, pumping herself up for the big confrontation. _I've got this._

She watched, jittery with excitement and nervousness, as her competitor took his spot on the other side of the arena.

He was ragged and rather rabid looking, his muscles appearing to be ripping across his skin. Even from the other side of the room she could tell that he was massive opposed to her, with cruel looking claws and an angry glint in his eye, which had a scar crossing over it.

Confidence drained from Gia as she came to know who her rival was. She knew that scar, she had seen it when they were marching single file to this very place. He was the bully that Dusty had thrown a rock at, he was the Greater Sooty with the scar on his face.

He was the one who had hurt Twitter.

Along with confidence, common sense seemed to go with it, and all other emotions. When their instructors signaled for them to take a fighting stance, Gia did not do so. Her eyes were locked on the Greater Sooty as he raised his wings, an obvious charging stance.

The classmates watched, entertained, as Gia did nothing when the Long-Eared Owls yelled out for the battle to begin. It was worse than Dusty had feared it would be, seeing that her friend was still, probably in shock, not doing anything. The Greater Sooty bolted towards her, and Dusty quickly looked away, knowing it was all over.

Time seemed to slow for Gia, which has happened before. All she could think about was Twitter, and what the dastardly Greater Sooty would have done to him if not for Dusty and the rock she threw.

She felt nothing, she only thought over and over of what kind of owl would do such a thing. What owl would hurt an innocent, little songbird who was only trying to bring a flower to her? What owl would purposely inflict pain into a creature whom couldn't defend himself? What owl would be as selfish, vile, cruel, and wrong as that?

An Impure owl, and that was exactly what Gia saw in the Greater Sooty. Whether he was a Tyto or not, he was Impure in her eyes, and the Impure were meant to be destroyed.

Thoughts switched out and emotions returned, but not all of them. The fiery sensation that she had felt earlier that day rekindled inside her, once again setting fire and burning through her system. It tensed her muscles and lit her aflame.

Mad wasn't enough to describe. She wasn't mad, or ticked off, or annoyed. Those words were too weak for the energy she was feeling. She now knew what it was called, and that was anger.

Time sped up back to its normal pace again. She lifted her head to face the Greater Sooty whom was coming towards her. It took only a glimpse to notify where he was going wrong in his attack. He was moving too fast, his claws were outstretched predictably, and his aim was poor. It was humiliating to watch.

She simply took a step to the side and observed as the pathetic excuse for a Pure Owl flew right past her and rammed into the wall.

Pain shot up the Greater Sooty's face as he sunk onto the floor. He felt as though he had cracked his face. What had just happened? One second the puny Masked Owl was standing there like a statue of fear, which was what he expected, and the next all he could see was the wall.

He was about to get to his feet when more spikes of pain came from the back of his neck. He was thrown to the side, then shoved up against the wall again. A sharpness bit at his throat and blocked his air pipe, choking him and holding him there. He narrowed his eyes down at the Masked Owl.

Anger burned through Gia as she stared at the Sooty. She was not happy.

She opened her wings and rocketed upwards, pulling the Greater Sooty with her. He was too heavy for her to keep in flight for long, so before he could get out of her grasp and fight back, she tackled him into the wall once more. Who knew a wall could be such a useful weapon?

She let herself fall down the side of the wall, pressing her opponent against the rough surface while they slid down it. He clawed at her all the while, tearing at her chest, neck, and wings. The pain inflamed her anger, her fury rising with every scratch, nick, and bruise he inflicted.

She twisted him around, not caring as he mauled her shoulder, and held him under her as they hit the ground beneath them. Watching him break her fall pleased her, especially when he shriek and then groaned, probably sore from the sudden collision with the canyon floor.

The burning sensation of anger was wonderful, it made her happy, but the disgrace of a Greater Sooty did not. Witnessing him suffer, and better yet, causing him to suffer, flamed the fire of anger she felt, making her happier with each injury she gave him.

She took a moment to feel giddy about what she had done to him, clapping her wings and bouncing up and down, while he pulled himself up on shaky legs. He grumbled and put his wing to his head, perhaps to a spot that was hurting.

That gave Gia an idea. She snatched the back of his neck and hammered his face into the ground, using her wings to keep him from throwing her off. One, twice, three times, and then a fourth for good measures she repeated the process, his face getting bloodier with each hit.

She jumped back for momentum and smashed into the Sooty, bringing her talons up to latch onto him and sinking her beak into his shoulder. They tumbled across the fighting field, punching, clawing, and trying to stab any part of each other that they could.

The Sooty shrieked and smacked and pushed at his rival, trying to get away while she was clinging on to him like a leech, tearing away blood and feathers by the seconds that went by.

He was able to pull his wing out of the tussle, then wound it up and slammed it against her face. Swelling pain burst from the contact of the punch, starting at the center of her face and spreading over her head, making her woozy.

That fiery feeling started up again, and, after shaking off the effect of the strike, she flew at him, pushing him to the ground. She grabbed his wing and tugged it at an angle she knew it wasn't suppose to bend in.

He cried out, thrashing at her and trying to get a hit, and each time he did it only made her tug harder. She kept pulling, until she twisted his wing and swung him away with the most energy she could conjure up. The dastardly owl was heavy, and although it strained her muscles to lift such a weight, she managed to throw him several feet away.

An unearthly scream tore through the arena when his body crashed onto the ground. Did she break his wing? She tilted her head and watched his movements, observing her work as he trembled in agony. No, she didn't, judging by the way he was coiled up around his leg, she had only broken his foot. Oh, well that wouldn't do at all.

Anger was flaming all over her body as she started walking towards him, planning out the next infliction, when a force knocked her on her back. She gasped when her body hit the ground, the shock evaporating her temper into steam, like the smoke after a fire.

"I said enough!" Jatt yelled, flapping his wings in her face, "You weren't suppose to kill the kid!"

_I killed him!? _Gia jumped to her feet so fast she almost fell down again. Relief washed over her when she saw that the Sooty was still breathing, but the concern stayed with her.

The recruit was beaten and swollen, with bruises and scrapes randomly placed throughout his mangled figure. There was a red and mostly featherless patch on his shoulder that reached to his lower back. His face was horrifying, blood running over it and dripping onto the floor.

Jutt told the Sooty to stand, but ended up having to pull him to his feet. Jutt pushed him in the direction of the Infirmary, snapping insults at him about his failure as he went. The pummeled recruited limped off, falling over twice, while guilt twisted up inside Gia as she watched.

It took a moment for her mind to clear, but when it did, her own pain from the fight crashed down on her. The entirety of her body throbbed, the worst of it being her face where her rival had punched it. Tentatively, she touch her face, feeling the rough skin swelling from beneath her ruffled feathers.

She flinched, and decided she wasn't going to be looking into a mirror anytime soon. Eventually she was going to have to see the damage, so she took a deep breath and glanced down at where her chest and shoulders were torn at.

Blood splattered over most of the front of her body, with nasty gashes in the shape of claw marks that ripped through her skin here and there. Suddenly she didn't feel so good, her head feeling light and nerves shaky.

She did her best to look at the positive side of the situation. If she pretended that her face was fine, then the claw marks were the most painful, therefor the rest of the wounds couldn't be that much worse. She focused on happy thoughts, and tried to ignore the scratches and cuts that were burning.

Burning! The burning sensation that she had felt...it was like a fire had let in her gizzard, in her soul. It was beyond terrifying, especially when it had caused her to do such terrible things to an owl.

She had never felt this feeling before, this anger, or at least not that intensely. She didn't know she had it in her, either, or the capability to create such misery for a creature. How could she ever hurt anyowl?

Knowing she had the power to damage a creature terrified her, and this sensation of anger scared her even more. What was worse, though, worse than the injuries she caused and the fury she felt, was that she had enjoyed it. She had enjoyed inflicting pain on that owl, she had savored the feeling of anger and encouraged it to consume her.

A part of her was still delighted by it, and that was what scared her the most, that somewhere in her she wanted to do it again, to take power from the anger and use it to hurt someowl. She never wanted to experience what had happened today again, and yet at the same time she was thrilled by the idea of it.

One thing was for sure; there was still plenty of things out there to be angry about.

* * *

**Hi people! It's good to post another chapter again, I always get so excited when I do. This chapter was much longer than what I normally write, which meant it took longer to prepare for posting. I hope I didn't make you guys wait for too long. I try to keep posting new chapters regularly. **

**Personally, watching my protagonist lose her sanity and beat up that recruit was hard for me to watch. Does anyone else feel the same? I mean, what happened to that adorable, sweet, golden feathered owl I met in Chapter 1?**

**I know that characters grow and change throughout the story, which made sense when I learned that, but I did not expect what just happened in Chapter 6. I can't blame her, really. Still, I'm in too much shock to know how I should feel about it.**

**Oh, and as for that quote at the beginning of the chapter, I decided that it would be a good idea to bring together the true meaning of a chapter, and put it into a few simple sentences. That way, there's a symbol to remember the chapter by. **

**Besides, Soren is darn right. The Pure Ones will enslave you all and rule the world! **

**Now then, if you want, let me know what you guys think of what Gia did to that Sooty in the reviews, since I don't know what to think about it. I can't tell if I'm rooting for her, like "Yeah! Go crazy!", or horrified by what happened, like "No! Don't do this!". Right now, I feel like "Wait...Did I miss something here? What just happened?"**

**Thanks to everyone who has read my story, and special thanks to those who have reviewed! You guys are great!**

**Now, where did I put that disclaimer?...Found it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole. **

**However, I do own this story, and you may not use it in any way.**

**-GG**


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